The School Librarian, Summer 2019 (67-2)

School Librarian
The
www.sla.org.uk volume 67 number 2 summer 2019
The quarterly journal of the School Library Association

Contents
www.sla.org.uk volume 67 number 2 summer 2019
Features
Features editorial 66
Ten Minutes With… Agnès Guyon: Q&A 67
Barbara Band
Reading Rocks! Using Illustration to Encourage a
Love of Reading 69
Leia Sands
Sharing Ideas and Inspiration: A Visit from Stockholm 70
Emma Suffield
Breaking News! Look What Happens when Teachers
Work with the School Librarian 72
Elizabeth Hutchinson
Cover: Original artwork by
Chris Riddell, President of the
School Library Association.
See the Summer info@sla
newsletter for information on
how to win this artwork for
your school library.
SLAdigital
Reviews
Creating a Primary School Reading Culture 75
Barbara Band
Enabling Students to Learn by Finding Out for Themselves:
Our Journey from FOSIL to the FOSIL Group 77
Darryl Toerien
Rural School Librarians’ Workshop in Zimbabwe 79
Hosea Tokwe
Websites, apps and digital resources 82
Reviews editorial 88
Under Eight 89
Eight to Twelve 100
Poetry and Plays 115
Twelve to Sixteen 116
Sixteen to Nineteen 126
Professional 127
Index of advertisers 127
Index of books reviewed 128
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The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 65

Features
Editorial
One of the idiosyncrasies of writing this editorial is that I have to do it several weeks
before it’s actually published, which means that some of the items I want to
mention will have become old news or maybe not even relevant at all!
A good example of this is the Great School Libraries survey. This closed at the
beginning of April (many thanks to all who responded). BMG Research are
currently analysing the data with a view to producing a report and we are in the
process of sorting out an official launch date for it. I wish I could say when this will
be, but as it requires coordination with CILIP, the SLA, the School Libraries Group
and the APPG Libraries it’s not quite as easy as arranging an Unconference! Rest
assured, as soon as there’s news we’ll let everyone know. Meanwhile, have a look at
the website (https://greatschoollibraries.edublogs.org) – there are some new quotes
that you may like to use, as well as regular blogs.
Speaking of Unconferences, the Central and East Berkshire branch held their
second one in March. A survey amongst members indicated that many could not
get out to meetings during term-time so the committee decided to try a Saturday
event; it was such a success that it will probably become a regular in the branch
calendar. If you fancy organising one for your local branch then do have a go, it’s
not as difficult as it seems and certainly not as involved or time-consuming as a
more structured day. Sort out a date and venue, advertise it on social media and via
your members, and arrange tickets via Eventbrite. The C&EB branch committee
decided to have a mix of speakers and ad-hoc sessions but most of the
Unconferences I’ve attended have been completely unstructured; it really does
depend on what you want and is entirely up to you. There are no rules! The day
attracted not only librarians from Berkshire but also from Hampshire, Sussex,
Wiltshire and Hertfordshire so there’s definitely a need for more of these.
Guidelines for getting started on running an Unconference are available on the SLA
website (https://www.sla.org.uk/branches.php).
Another event that’s occurred since the last journal is the 2019 Pupil Library
Assistant of the Year Award. There were seven fantastic finalists; congratulations to
all of them and especially the winner, Rhiannon Salvin from Firth Park Academy in
Sheffield. Everyone had a wonderful afternoon celebrating at Penguin Random
House in London. There will be a full write-up in the Autumn issue, but head over
to the website to have a look at the photos: https://libpupilaward.wixsite.com/home.
I hope to see many of you at the joint SLA/CILIP YLG weekend course in June. The
theme is ‘Building Identity, Building Readers: Well-Being and the Library’ and, as
usual, there’s a jam-packed programme. I can never decide which sessions to go to,
but what I do know is that one of my favourite parts is the exhibition. Do come and
say hi, but be warned, I may twist your arm about writing a case study or article!
Barbara Band, Features Editor
Published four times a year by the School Library
Association: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Printed by Holywell Press, Oxford.
Copyright © 2019 School Library Association.
All rights reserved. ISSN 0036 6595.
The views expressed are those of the contributors and
reviewers and not necessarily the official views of the
School Library Association.
Registered Charity Nos. 313660 and SC039453.
Martin Salter
Contributions
Articles for consideration are always welcome. The Features Editor is happy to receive
enquiries from potential contributors and will be pleased to supply information about
presentation. Contributions should be sent to the Features Editor: Barbara Band; Email:
sleditor@sla.org.uk
Books and material for review should be sent to the Reviews Editor:
Joy Court, School Library Association, 1 Pine Court, Kembrey Park, Swindon SN2 8AD;
Email: reviews@sla.org.uk
Weblinks, apps and all other digital media for review should be sent to the
SLA Digital Editor: Bev Humphrey; Email: digital@sla.org.uk
Advertising: Space Marketing, 10 Clayfield Mews, Newcomen Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
TN4 9PA Tel: 01892 677740; Fax: 01892 677743; Email: sales@spacemarketing.co.uk
All other communications should be sent to the Production Editor: Richard Leveridge,
School Library Association, 1 Pine Court, Kembrey Park, Swindon SN2 8AD
Tel: 01793 530166; Email: richard.leveridge@sla.org.uk
66 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Ten Minutes With…
Agnès Guyon
Q&A with one of the SLA
Board’s new members
Interviewed by Barbara Band
Features
Agnès was elected to the SLA Board last year and will serve
until 2021. She is currently senior librarian for Young People’s
Services at East Lothian Council, has been past Chair of CILIP
YLG and has also served on the Carnegie Kate Greenaway
Judging Panel.
Q Have you always wanted to be a librarian? If not how did
you get into librarianship?
A I wanted to work with books when I was younger – I
thought more of the publishing industry or even book
selling – but then I did a degree in English, met my
husband and moved to Scotland, so the obvious thing to
do was to become a foreign language teacher [Agnès is
French–Ed]. I taught French and German in Scotland
and Kenya, and when I got back from Kenya decided
that teaching was not really what I wanted to do so
studied for an MSc in Librarianship and Information
Science.
Q What does your librarianship pathway look like?
A My librarianship pathway is a bit twisty, but eventually I
think I found my niche. When I was doing my MSc, I
did my placement at Heriot-Watt University and was
employed there after graduating. My first post was
almost as far from school or youth librarian as you can
get; I was an Internet Librarian for an online database of
engineering resources for Higher Education students! It
was a JISC-funded project called EEVL (Edinburgh
Engineering Virtual Library) and I created an E-Journal
Search Engine.
At first I enjoyed the mental stimulation of doing
something totally different and new but eventually got a
bit bored and realised that it was not really ‘me’. I saw an
advert for a Children’s Mobile Library driver/librarian in
Midlothian, applied and, to my surprise, got the job
despite my lack of experience in both children’s
librarianship and driving a 5-ton vehicle (I could just
about reach the pedals!). It was a part-time job and I
took a massive drop in salary but I enjoyed it. Soon I also
became Midlothian’s first Bookstart coordinator, which
filled the rest of my week.
About ten years ago, I became East Lothian’s Senior
Librarian for Children and Young People and after a
service review four years ago, the secondary school
librarians came under my line-management.
Q What do you think are the differences (and similarities)
in the role of librarian in France and the UK?
A To be honest I have only been a librarian in the UK, so
can only presume from what I know. I feel that the
profession in France is far more respected than here
because of the reaction I get in each country when I tell
people what I do for a living. In French schools there are
‘teacher-librarians’, who have the same status as
teachers. Teaching is part of their job description and
the training involves two years at a postgraduate teacher
training school. They also only work in secondary
schools – and school libraries are compulsory – so there
is a huge discrepancy between library provision in
secondary schools and in primary schools.
On a practical level, though there are many similarities,
teacher-librarians often work alone in the school library,
are responsible for the management of the school
library, buy the resources…
Q How does the school library system vary in Scotland
from that in the rest of the UK?
A Again I have only experienced the Scottish system so
may not be best placed to comment. The Scottish
education system is different so this will obviously have
repercussions. I am not sure how uniform the system is
in the rest of the UK but in Scotland the landscape is
very diverse, particularly in terms of the management of
school librarians. In some authorities, like mine, school
librarians are managed by the public library service – we
already provided a service to schools, such as topic and
fiction boxes as there is no SLS. In other authorities,
school librarians are managed by the head teacher. And
in other authorities, such as Aberdeenshire, community
libraries are staffed by a qualified librarian who is both
public and school librarian. SLS are very rare in
Scotland, in fact I am only aware of Falkirk having a
separate school library service, and their services to
schools are free.
One significant development is our School Library
Strategy Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools: A National
Strategy for School Libraries in Scotland 2018–2023
which is supported by the Scottish Government. This
doesn’t always stop authorities from shutting down
school libraries – see what is happening in the Scottish
Borders – but it helps a lot to stress the importance of
the school library and when talking to Headteachers and
other educationalists.
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 67

Features
Q Does this have any advantages or disadvantages?
A I often wish that the landscape was more uniform but it
allows for some flexibility and doesn’t leave the decision
to fund a school librarian solely up to the Headteacher
who might already have tough choices to make. Having a
school library strategy is obviously a good thing – I
wished it could have gone a step further and become
compulsory rather than advisory but I understand the
constraints.
Q What frustrates you most about working in the school
library sector?
A Lack of funding of course and the inability to provide
cover which would enable the school librarian to take
part in CPD, have meetings, etc, without having to shut
the library. But the worst is that lack of awareness (and
sometimes, sadly, respect) amongst teaching staff and
often Senior Management of the professional skills of a
school librarian – they often assume they know what we
do but don’t really. In the worst case, I have seen
teachers’ attitudes towards me change when they learnt
that I am a qualified teacher and they start respecting
my opinion a bit more.
Q If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be?
A Unemployed? Probably a primary school teacher –
although in my dream I would be an editor.
Q Hobbies? Any unusual ones?
A Nothing unusual – reading of course, anything in the
outdoors, walking, particularly with my dog, hillwalking,
cycling, kayaking when I get the chance (I don’t have a
kayak). I love travelling but don’t have enough time for
that, and photography, but I am rubbish at it. I also like
doing stained glass.
Q What prompted you to cycle to the south of France?
[Three years ago Agnès cycled to the south of France
with Ferelith Hordon to raise money for Book Aid
International–Ed.]
A It is a journey I do so often, by plane, by car, once by
train and I often wondered what it would be like to do it
under my own steam. I’d wanted to do it for a long time
– I like a challenge – and when I turned 50 I decided
that it would be a nice challenge to mark it.
Q What’s your signature dish?
A A pear and almond cake which is generally well
received.
Q What’s on your Spotify list?
A I listen to classical music when I am in the car. I also like
Jazz and some world music (Klezmer, Latin American)
as well as some old stuff and French music (Piaf,
Gainsbourg), pretty eclectic…
Q The question one always has to ask a librarian – what
are your favourite authors and/or books? What is your
comfort read and what are you reading now?
A I have too many favourites. I love David Almond; for YA
authors I like Marcus Sedgwick, Sarah Crossan, Jason
Reynolds and Patrick Ness. In terms of adult books I
read in French too and one of my favourite books is The
Ogre by Michel Tournier. For comfort I might read a
book by Fred Vargas (in French but they have been
translated). At the moment I am finishing reading the
Carnegie Longlist – just one title to go!
Q We met at IFLA in Lyon when I was CILIP President -
how did you get to attend? What did you get out of the
conference? Would you recommend it to other school
librarians (assuming they can afford to go)?
A I applied for a partial grant for new attendees and was
selected. My family joke that the only freebie I got was
to a conference one hour from where my mother lives
(and where I grew up) when I could have gone to South
Africa or Singapore if I had applied a different year. I
found it very valuable; first of all for the buzz that such a
huge conference provides but also I learnt about some
concepts which were not that common at the time, for
example, I still remember a talk on transmedia which led
me to research and find out more about makerspaces. I
would definitely recommend it to other school
librarians.
Q If you were to get a tattoo what would it be?
A I don’t have a tattoo but often considered getting one - I
went as far as looking up designs with my daughter. It
would have to be book related – maybe something to do
with The Little Prince although that’s a bit clichéd. I
visualise something like an open book out of which
come beautiful things… one day maybe.
■ Agnès Guyon is senior librarian for Young People’s Services
at East Lothian Council.
New
titles on
Digital Resources
Empowerment
Fake News
Historical Fiction
Policies & Planning
Teaching & Learning
68 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Reading Rocks!
Using Illustration to
Encourage a Love of Reading
by Leia Sands
Features
I am lucky to be the School Librarian at Steyning C of E
Primary School in West Sussex. As part of my role, I am
frequently tasked with the challenge of engaging our
most reluctant readers and helping them to develop a love of
books.
Over the last year I have noticed that, for many of these
readers, picture books and illustrations provide a way into the
wonderful world of books. It has been fantastic to see so many
of these children ‘light up’ when they find a certain picture
book that they love, and how the quality of their discussion
and understanding of a story can be transformed, just by giving
them a different type of text to explore. Equally, when we have
given children the opportunity to come to the library to take
part in a library ‘hunt’ or trail, the library is always packed,
particularly with children that do not regularly frequent the
library.
Pebble discovery
A few months ago, I was out walking
with my own children in our town
centre, when one of my boys exclaimed
‘Look Mummy, what’s that?’ On further
exploration, I realised that they had
found a painted pebble hidden in our
local churchyard. When we got home,
we followed the instructions on the
back of the pebble and found that
somebody had started a group on Facebook, which was
encouraging members of the community to decorate a pebble
and hide it in the local community. When found, the idea is to
take a photograph of you with the rock and re-hide it in a new
location. This idea really caught my children’s imagination and
very soon, we were painting our own pebbles. Our walks
around the town got a lot more exciting as they were
constantly on the lookout for new pebbles!
All of this got me thinking and I wondered if I could harness
the pebble hunting enthusiasm into an idea to encourage and
promote reading for pleasure with the children in my school,
particularly my reluctant readers. We therefore decided to
start a new initiative which we named ‘Reading Rocks’. Initially
I approached some of our pupil’s favourite illustrators and
asked them if they would be willing to decorate a pebble with a
book character from one of their books and donate it to the
library. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of these
illustrators and was thrilled when the first set of pebbles
arrived by post.
Hiding pebbles
Our plan was to then hide these pebbles around the school.
When the children found one, they would bring it to the
library and receive a recommendation for a book from
the illustrator who had donated the pebble. We were fortunate
enough to have an author visit from Chris Riddell who, as well
as illustrating a number of pebbles for us, very kindly designed
a logo of a ‘Reading Rock’ for us to use to promote the idea.
My brother, who is a graphic designer,
used the image to make bookmarks for
the children to get stamped when they
found a pebble. The first week that we
launched ‘Reading Rocks’ the interest
and enthusiasm in the pebbles from the
children was fantastic. The library was
inundated with children and it was
wonderful to hear them huddled in
corridors, discussing the illustrators and their books with their
peers. Going forward, we want to further tap into their interest
so have decided to involve them more with the creation of the
pebbles. As a whole school, we are having a focus on
illustration and I am fortunate enough to have a very
enthusiastic group of pupil librarians who were keen to start
decorating their own pebbles. These students have started
‘pebble workshops’ that run in the library at lunchtimes.
They have selected their own illustrators and researched ‘How
to draw’ tips from them. Each week, they choose an illustrator
to focus on and encourage the younger children to come to the
library to learn to draw a book character. They then use their
designs to decorate their own pebble.
We are now hiding these pebbles
around the school and when found the
children not only get a book
recommendation and a stamp on their
bookmark, but they also get a chance to
see and hold the ‘real’ pebble from
the illustrator.
Supporting #picturesmeanbusiness
We are over the moon with the beautiful pebbles we have
received. Huge thanks to Chris Riddell, Liz Pichon, Elys Dolan,
Danny Noble, Emily Gravett, Steve Anthony, Lydia Monks,
Nick Sharratt, Jim Smith, Camille Whitcher and Guy Parker-
Rees for their support and taking the time to paint and draw us
beautiful pebbles for our Reading Rocks trail. Our work on
illustration supports Sarah McIntyre’s
#picturesmeanbusiness campaign so we
are using the hashtag as much as
possible in social media to promote
this. Sarah’s campaign highlights the
benefits of crediting illustrators for
their work. She talks about the
importance of raising the profile of
illustrators in school through talking
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 69

Features
Sharing Ideas and Inspiration
A visit from a School Librarian from
Stockholm, Sweden
by Emma Suffield
I was very fortunate to recently have a visit from Gulla
Hermannsdottir, a school librarian from the International
English School in Stockholm, at the end of February. Gulla is
very proactive in her CPD and has made many visits to other
school libraries in Sweden; but she felt it was time to visit a
school library in another country in order to get to know more
about the work and methods of a different school library
culture. Therefore, Gulla applied and received a travelling
grant from the Swedish Library Association (Svensk
biblioteksförening) https://www.biblioteksforeningen.se to
visit a school library in the UK. I was over the moon that she
chose to come to Saint Wilfrid’s Academy. She learned about
our school through the SLA’s School Librarian of the Year
awards, and wanted to come and see some of the wonderful
things that we do here in the school library to promote reading
for pleasure and literacy.
After numerous email exchanges prior to her visit, Gulla had
an agenda of what she wanted to get out of her visit to help
promote reading for pleasure within her own school library.
These are listed below, and I was pleased to be able to assist
her with her research.
The library as a place
■ How the library is used (class visits, drop-in during
breaks, etc)
■ Rules/opening hours
■ Library layout/shelving system/displays
8
about illustrations and inviting illustrators into school to meet
the children. We have found that through doing this our
children are more inspired to draw, create and write stories,
and more interested in reading a wider range of different
books. This has helped us to further develop a culture of
Reading for Pleasure in our school. For more information
about the #picturesmeanbusiness campaign, please visit the
website http://www.picturesmeanbusiness.com/
Whole School Initiative
As a whole school we are continuing to use illustration as a
powerful and important way to promote reading for pleasure.
The wonderful creator of children’s books, Elys Dolan, has
recently agreed to become our Patron of Illustration. She is
working with us over a year to promote a love of reading and
books through illustration. She recently visited us and ran
workshops across the school encouraging the children to enter
her first competition to ‘design a book character’. Over the
year, Elys will be setting further illustration challenges to the
school and the hope is that the children will engage in all of
them. They will then be able to create their own book by the
end of the year. We are in discussions with our local
independent book shop about the possibility of them ‘selling’
the books for us.
Alongside this we have been paired with Camille Whitcher,
author/illustrator of Luna and the Moon Rabbit via Kate’s
Scott’s @Bookpenpal scheme on Twitter. This is a
fantastic arrangement, where schools are paired with an
author/illustrator who recommends books for the children to
read. Every month, the Pupil Librarians look forward to
receiving a picture book recommendation from Camille. They
then share the recommended book with
the younger children in the school before
replying to Camille, sharing their
thoughts about the books and the
illustrations within them.
We are also trying to introduce our
pupils to illustrators and new books
through our Badges for Books scheme. After discussion with
some of our Pupil Librarians about ways to raise funds for
much needed new book stock, we came up with this idea. The
Pupil Librarians have written to some children’s book
illustrators asking them if they would be willing to provide us
with a small image that we could make into pin badges. We
sell these badges in the school library and all profit goes
towards books for the library. I am hugely grateful to the
illustrators/authors Emily Gravett, Viviane Schwarz, Becky
Cameron, Camille Whitcher and Rikin Parekh for providing us
with illustrations to be used to make pin badges with. It has
been fantastic to see the children so excited by these and
become increasingly interested in new books and illustrators.
Please feel free to follow us on Twitter where we will provide
‘pebble updates’ and information about all of the exciting
developments in our school library. We are
SPSLibrary@SPS_lovetoread.
And if there are any other illustrators who would be willing to
donate a pebble or badge design to us, we would be incredibly
grateful as we want to keep the children’s interest and
enthusiasm sustained for as long as possible by providing them
with the opportunity to discover new illustrators’ books.
■ Leia Sands is School Librarian at Steyning Primary School
in Sussex.
70 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

8
■ Late/lost books and reminders
■ Website/social media
■ Budget/resources
■ Selecting books to buy/reading hours (as in when we read
the literature we work with)
■ Other roles the librarian has in school (teaching/admin
for example)
Features
The library as a function
■ Collaboration with teachers/support from management
■ Book talks
■ Reluctant readers
■ Information literacy
■ Special needs students (reading disorders for example)
■ Inclusiveness
■ Events/clubs/activities
■ Library council/library helpers
■ Parent outreach
■ Collaboration with local libraries
■ School library culture in our respective countries
Monday
After a weekend of sightseeing in Manchester, Gulla arrived on
the Monday morning. I do not know who felt more excited:
her, the student librarians, or me! The student librarians were
panicking slightly at first because they couldn’t speak a word of
Swedish but, after they were reassured, they couldn’t wait to
meet her. Gulla had a lovely first day having a tour of the
Academy and talking to students during lunchtime to see what
they liked about reading. She took in the vibrant and very busy
library. We have been reading They Saw Too Much by Alan
Gibbons in Year 8 and 9 book club and Gulla was having a
quick read of this book during the afternoon so she could join
in with the discussion; the book club students were over the
moon that she could join us and be able to participate. After
book club, Gulla visited the public library in Blackburn centre
to see what services public libraries provide in the UK.
Tuesday
During her visit on Tuesday, we talked lots about how my
school library operates. Showing Gulla all the wonderful things
we do in the school library really helped me to reflect on the
last five years, what has been achieved and, more importantly,
how she could implement some of these activities in her
library. Hopefully she will be able to get management on board
with her new initiatives as she can demonstrate that these
ideas can be effective and bring about wide-ranging and highly
positive impact. Gulla also took numerous pictures of the
library and displays to use in her report about her visit to Saint
Wilfrid’s, as well as to take back to her school. I know that I am
very lucky to have a large library (seats 160 and I have 36
computers) compared to others, and that the space is
adaptable and convenient. Gulla did mention that her library
was smaller, but she is able to make most of the space by being
innovative and creative. During the afternoon, Gulla visited
the Harris library in Preston city centre to see the service they
provide within the museum and art gallery.
I arranged for two other local librarians – Valerie Dewhurst
from QEGS Blackburn, and Fiona Fahalin from Smithills High
School, Bolton, to join Gulla and me for a meal out after work.
It was obviously all school library talk but it was really
beneficial for us to share ideas and for Gulla to hear how some
other school librarians operate; our united goal is the same,
but we all get there in a different way. It was a fabulous fun
evening and we laughed a lot which is always lovely after a day
at work and I know Gulla is also now in contact with both
Valerie and Fiona.
Wednesday
Gulla is a big fan of graphic novels and it was lovely that she
could join the Excelsior award club that I run on a Wednesday
after school. The students were very passionate talking about
the shortlist and we completed the JABBICA (Judge A Book By
Its Cover) competition. As Gulla had not seen the shortlisted
titles before, it was lovely to have her input and hear about
which graphic novels she likes, and the students were really
engaged by her discussion. Gulla also recommended some
Manga and graphic novels for my library; this was met with
enthusiasm by the members of the Excelsior Award club.
Thursday
During Gulla’s visit we were very fortunate to have author
Tom Palmer visit the Academy to work with our KS3 students
on the Thursday. Tom has visited numerous schools in
Sweden as a lot of his books have been translated into Swedish;
it was great for Gulla to be at Saint Wilfrid’s during his visit
and it was equally great for Tom as he had not had the
pleasure of visiting IES Stockholm, but this may be on the
cards for his next trip. Tom managed to persuade me to act as
goalkeeper in the library trying to save the penalties from
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 71

Features
students when they got answers right in his quiz! It was
very entertaining; I wasn’t as bad as I thought I would be
and I was over the moon to see Gulla having a really good
time.
Before she left on the Thursday afternoon, Gulla had
lunch with Tom Palmer, my line manager, and the student
librarians who presented her with a goodie bag of books
and Saint Wilfrid’s souvenirs to take back to her students
and her school library. It was a wonderful way to end her
visit, we were all sad to see her leave as her presence in the
library was just lovely.
Two Way Benefits
Having Gulla visit was really beneficial to both of us as she
also had some strategies that she wanted to share with me
and it is very pleasing that I can implement these into my
school library. She suggested that students have badges for
clubs in the LRC as she noticed the student librarians have
badges for their blazers, and many students have badges
for music clubs and sports clubs – why not have badges
for literacy clubs which I host in the library? This is
something I am already looking into for the next academic
year. Gulla showed me some images and the website of a
public library in Stockholm near her school that only lets
children into the children’s library, no adults are allowed!
It looks fabulous and I wish I was young enough to visit! I
really want to implement visits to our local libraries again
for our students as we have many in the area and
Blackburn Central Library is a 10–15 minute walk from
the Academy – this is something else that I want to look
into for some of our students – especially those in
Additional Support as a fun activity for them.
I am so grateful to Gulla for travelling all the way from
Stockholm to visit Saint Wilfrid’s; I certainly learnt a lot
and hope that she did too. Having someone visit your
school library, love it and be so complimentary is just so
rewarding and makes everything worthwhile. Advocating
is so important for school libraries and being able to do
this internationally is remarkable for the profession. I
know I have a made a friend as well as another school
library colleague in Gulla and who knows, I may get to
visit her school library one day…
■ Emma Suffield is School Librarian of the Year 2018 and
Librarian at Saint Wilfrid’s CofE Academy, Blackburn.
@emmasuffield @stwLRC
Breaking News!
Look What Happens when
Teachers Work with the School
Librarian
by Elizabeth Hutchinson
As a librarian who works with schools I constantly have to find
different ways to engage teachers. Whether it is letting them
know about a new resource, informing them of a new initiative
or offering support for students’ research skills. I have tried
everything; emails, social media, newsletters, phoning - but
nothing seems to engage everyone.
Why is it that teachers will ignore an email about free new
resources or not reply to a phone message? I have even tried
the personal touch, catching them in the corridor or talking to
them in the staff room which has had little impact.
Not every teacher ignores me this way but certainly not every
teacher knows what I can do for them. I would really like to
find a way of making sure that all staff know what is on offer
from their school librarian even if they choose not to work
with them and my biggest concern is that there are teachers
out there who really don’t know how to access their librarian
even if they have one.
Some schools will invite Guernsey SLS to present at their
INSET days or in staff meetings. When this happens, teachers
are interested and surprised to hear all we can do, and these
sessions lead to the librarian being inundated with requests
that are almost impossible to fulfil. It seems to be all or
nothing, but once the excitement dies down or teachers
change we have to start all over again.
I often write about it being important for schools to embed
information literacy and the use of the library and librarian at
policy level but in order to do this our senior leaders need to
know and understand what we offer. Lance & Kachel in Why
School Librarians Matter: What Years of Research Tell Us (2018)
mention several studies which show that schools who employ
professional librarians see improved academic attainment but
these studies don’t seem to make a difference to the schools I
work with. I began to wonder if I could find examples of school
librarians being recognised by their schools and whether
demonstrating what others were doing might have more
impact.
I sent a request on twitter and to SLN (School Library
Network), a group of school librarians who share ideas and
best practice, in order to see if I could find some positive
feedback.
I had some very interesting responses, the majority from
secondary schools. I have only focused on state school
librarians as I wanted to show that great libraries are possible
in non-private schools. Even in times of reduced budgets I
know there are still schools that are making decisions where
the library is seen as a valuable resource that needs staff and
funding to make a difference to their students. I am delighted
to say that I did find some.
72 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

These school librarians
are working hard at
collaborating with
teachers, supporting
their students and
achieving great things,
and I wanted to know
how they were
achieving so much.
Were they recognised
by their SLT from the
start or did they do
something to change
the hearts and minds
of the schools they work in?
In order to pull all of this together I have linked responses to
questions and then given some examples of good practice
shared by these librarians.
Are you Head of Department and invited to
HoD meetings?
This question raised some interesting answers. Only two
responded that they were recognised as HoD in the traditional
sense:
“I am very fortunate to be recognised as HoD. Much of this is
because I had the most amazing predecessor who, with her
line manager, built up the role and recognition of the librarian
as a professional member of staff”.
“I am considered the Head of the Library”.
The others seemed to have been given the title or took
responsibilities without the pay:
“I am treated like a department head. I do improvement plan
and control budget”.
“I don’t attend HoD meetings but if I wanted to raise
something I could”.
“I am very much HoD when it comes to events like open
evening, etc!”
“I am in charge of my budget but not classed as HoD. I have
never been invited to HoD meeting”.
“I have the title of HoD but sadly not the pay. I used to attend
HoD meetings but they are always after school which meant
using up at least an hour of my own time. As I was only able to
contribute occasionally, I stopped attending and now get the
minutes instead”.
If librarians are not treated as Head of Departments then I
wondered how they were perceived by the Senior Leadership
teams and teachers.
How are you perceived by SLT and teachers?
Many school librarians say that their main problem for not
being able to collaborate is the lack of understanding from the
Senior Leadership Team and teachers. Some of the responses
to this question felt very familiar:
“Some teachers are amazing and it is proper collaboration.
With others it’s like pulling teeth and if left to just remember
they never show”.
“Really the English teachers are great and positive about
anything I propose. Relationships with other departments are
Features
not as good. I
think they value
me because I do
classroom work (I
am a cover
teacher). I have a
good relationship
with the IT
teacher. I have a
good relationship
Elizabeth Hutchinson
with senior
management. My line manager is the Head and the three
deputies are all great”.
“I am lucky here as both I and the library are valued by SLT
and by staff. I am not considered a member of teaching staff,
but I still do feel valued by the school. Staff are fully behind me
in most of the initiatives, promotions, competitions I do and I
often collaborate with departments. I always feel encouraged,
rather than dismissed, to consider new ideas and ways of
enhancing our students learning and well-being”.
“I do liaise with English very closely but getting other
departments on board can be difficult”.
However I was pleased to have some very positive responses
where the school librarian is creating policies and making a
real role for themselves across the school:
“I mostly feel recognised and appreciated by teaching staff, and
am quite often the ‘go to’ person for ideas on new books,
research topics and lesson plan ideas”.
“I have been the school literacy lead, written the Reading for
Pleasure policy and now organise DEAR time”.
“Despite the many frustrations of being a lone Librarian, I can
honestly say that I am recognised by staff. I have worked with
SLT and the Head of English on many projects over the years. I
was recently given the role of literacy lead for the whole
school. Within this role I have written and implemented a
Whole School Reading for Pleasure policy”.
“I’ve been treated as part of the teaching staff from day one, in
that I was added to the ‘teaching staff’ email list. A small thing
but it made a big difference in keeping up on things and
boosted my confidence from the start. I was introduced on my
first day in front of the entire school by the Headteacher as
their new librarian. I didn’t realise it at the time but my Line
Manager was doing her best to ensure I was taken seriously
and it worked. My current Line Manager is really amazing and
[in a recent merger] I was named Head of Reading
development. I need to produce a Library Improvement Plan
that spans over two years and reflect back on my previous ones
to ensure I have fulfilled those duties. I also have to present to
the Governors every year on what the library has achieved and
what I want to do in the future”.
Do you get invited to curriculum meetings and
INSET days?
I was interested to hear how involved the librarians were in the
curriculum and INSET. I was not surprised to read that some
of them were never invited to these meetings and for some the
onus was on the librarian to ask if they could attend:
“I have never been invited to a curriculum meeting but when I
revamped my nonfiction area into a revision section I did get
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 73

Features
teachers involved the best I could as it would have a huge
impact on the resources available to their students”.
“I am support staff and INSET reflects this. However I have
never been prevented from attending any sessions I want to
get involved with but the onus is very much on me rather than
being automatically included. I am not involved in curriculum
planning or mapping and I do have to regularly ask to be
updated”.
Others however were very much more involved than I could
ever imagine:
“I am involved with INSET days – sometimes even running a
session. Curriculum meetings less so but I am also not
uninvited”.
“I attend teacher CPD sessions and INSET days so I am aware
of whole school priorities and policies”.
“Last week I delivered a Teaching and Learning session to all
staff focused on the importance of vocabulary, talking in detail
about how to teach new words to students, and the Matthew
Effect and how we can address it”.
“I am invited to Subject Leader meetings a few times a year. I
use this as an opportunity to promote the library’s services and
to ensure our non-fiction collection is what the subject leaders
want. This is a great way to introduce myself to staff and let
them know the library is an important asset”.
“I deliver INSET training; advise on resources for curriculum,
class collections and literacy events such as books weeks or
author celebrations”.
Are you teaching information literacy across
the school? If so can you tell me briefly what
you are doing?
Many school librarians talk about their role in promoting
literacy but I believe that a school librarian’s role is very much
in teaching research skills so I wanted to know what librarians
were doing in their schools. Some seemed very traditional
working via the English departments, and I was pleased to hear
that many had timetabled sessions for Years 7 and 8:
“Lessons timetabled via English and linked to research topics.
Structured research skills lessons”.
“I lead library lessons and team teach with English teachers”.
“I have a programme of study for year 7 and most of year 8. The
lessons are an hour long and combine reading and information
literacy. The teachers completely let me do what I want to do,
although obviously I circulate the plan beforehand”.
Others however were managing to do substantially more:
“For IL I use Google Classroom and upload my tasks to this
area. Pupils work through the tasks during library lessons,
these are my own teaching timetabled groups (18 groups over
a 2 weeks period). I also do research skills for EPQ , again
through Google Classroom. All teaching staff now use Google
Classroom so I request the subject code in order to see what’s
being set”.
“I run sessions for A Level teachers on research and citation
linked closely to their current topic”.
“I assist in research lessons. I am heavily involved with both
HPQ and EPQ, although I don’t lead it. I see Year 7 for their
library induction and again in a Science lesson I cover nonfiction
and an extremely basic introduction to research skills”.
“I have taken over the management of library lessons in order
to make sure all were of good standard and covering similar
background. My predecessor introduced the library lessons
progress including termly reports. I have further developed
this process with the support of the Head of English and my
Line Manager”.
“I teach research and referencing but it took a while to be
invited to do so. I think the turning point was when I got to
know the teacher in charge of EPQ which demands that time is
given to teaching students these skills. She had a huge
workload and was glad someone else was willing to participate.
I regularly teach referencing to A Level History and Geography
students and also Year 10 philosophy”.
Do you have any ideas to share to help school
librarians ensure that they collaborate with
teachers?
I wanted to give these librarians a platform to help others who,
reading this, will be saying how did they manage this?
“The way to get recognised/collaborate with teachers is to
offer as much help as possible. To make the library and its
resources indispensable to them and to build personal
relationships. I often send out resources which I think may be
useful and let staff know of new books, websites, etc. It helps
that I got myself included in the ‘All Teaching Staff’ email
address book so I know what is going on and I am the person
to speak to about booking ICT rooms and laptops”.
“I think for me the key has been to build strong relationships
with teaching staff, help them whenever I can, ask them to
recommend resources and offer quiet space after school
whenever practical”.
“You have to shout about what you are capable of. Create
some guides to research, or a leaflet about referencing, or
make a presentation, or ask to do an INSET day. My advice to
a new librarian would be that it can be a long haul in getting
your expertise acknowledged but you have to keep plugging
away. If you do a good job, teachers will spread the word
amongst themselves”.
“I have promoted the library services heavily and involve staff
whenever I can. I work hard to make sure the staff know what
services the library can provide”.
Conclusion
This short sample clearly shows that librarians who are
recognised as Head of Department and part of the teaching
team are able to support teachers and students more. Those
who are not immediately recognised as Head of their
Department or teaching staff have to work extremely hard to
ensure that their role is acknowledged. When they are
recognised, the amount that can be achieved is notable. The
winners are the students and the teachers but without the
understanding of the Senior Leadership Team the role of the
librarian continues to be a struggle but not impossible. It takes
an exceptionally passionate librarian to keep trying when the
odds seem to be stacked against you, but the rewards are
worth it when you begin to see change and collaboration begin
to happen.
■ Elizabeth Hutchinson is Head of Schools’ Library Service,
Guernsey. (This article was first published as a blog
https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/)
74 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Creating a Primary School
Reading Culture
At Dogmersfield School
Features
by Barbara Band
A study undertaken by the Open University showed that whilst
teachers knew their pupils’ reading levels, very few knew about
the children’s preferences as readers, or what their favourite
genres or authors were. It also highlighted a lack of knowledge
about children’s books so that teachers were limited in what
they were recommending and making some gender-based
assumptions about pupils’ preferences.
As a result, an OU/UKLA project was instigated to establish
Teachers as Readers (TaR) groups whereby participants could
discover and share contemporary children’s books, enriching
their understanding of reading for pleasure (RfP) and
exploring how to support this in the classroom. Originally 25
schools were involved; this year there are around 80 groups
running across the UK and I have been co-leading one such
group with Dot Patton, Headteacher at Dogmersfield C. E.
(Aided) Primary School in Hampshire.
The school is in a rural location with approximately 120 pupils
in Reception through to Year 6. The TaR meetings are held
every half-term, with Dot and myself getting together a couple
of weeks beforehand to discuss their structure and activities,
and it was obvious, both from evidence around the school and
from talking to Dot, that there is an active reading culture in
the school so I interviewed her to discover more.
First step – refurbishing the library
Dot has been Headteacher at the
school for almost three years and
the library was very different
when she arrived. Unlike in many
primary schools, it is housed in a
separate room and one of her
first tasks was to refurbish it as
she wanted a space that was
bright and inviting, where books
could be displayed so they were
accessible to the children. The shelving is at a suitable height,
it is fun and interesting, and there are tables and chairs
allowing small groups to work in the library.
All classes have library time each week where they are able to
browse and borrow books. Older children can self-issue whilst
the younger ones are given help if needed. There is a team of
ten Year 5 pupil librarians who have to
apply for the position if they’re
interested. They are interviewed and, if
given the role, have one lunchtime
each week in the library where they are
responsible for tidying the shelves,
putting books away and helping other
pupils. Book reviews written by the
pupils poke out of pages encouraging
others to investigate further.
Stocking the Library
Maintaining up-to-date and relevant stock is always a
challenge. If a library is well-used and popular, books soon
become worn and tatty, curriculum topics change and books
go out-of-date. Dot subscribes to the Hampshire School
Library Service and recognises their value-for-money,
regularly changing books with them. Like many teachers and
librarians, when she has read something herself, she puts it
into the library or loans it to a particular child. The school also
buy books on a regular basis from a local bookseller, P & G
Wells in Winchester, and they run a book sale each year giving
commission which they spend on library resources.
Dot’s office has well-stocked shelves. These contain some of
her favourite books as well as a range of books for pastoral use
and emotional support. Staff can borrow them at any time.
There is also a collection of books that she uses on a regular
basis to read to the children – Friday afternoon at
Dogmersfield School is ‘Storytime with Mrs Patton’ with KS1
and KS 2 alternating each week. The younger children enjoy
picture books whilst the older ones are treated to a reading of
something a bit different, perhaps a proof copy or newlypublished
title. It is clear from the way Dot talks about this
activity that it is one of her favourite times of the week; anyone
who has read to children knows how satisfying it is, especially
when they clamour to borrow the book afterwards.
Regular activities
The school organises regular activities throughout the week.
Monday lunchtime is KS2 story club which currently has
around twelve regular pupils attending. On Friday, after
school, parents are invited in with their children to listen to a
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 75

Features
story and exchange books; those that come tend to be younger
pupils in KS1. The library is also open for general use at
lunchtime and, as Dot says, can get very busy on a cold day!
There is a Book Week during which World Book Day is
celebrated, author visits and this year, the school are planning
their own mini ‘Hay-On-Wye’ style book festival. A large
group of volunteers help out with reading activities including
parents, grandparents and men from the local Lion’s Club; the
last group are particularly important when it comes to having
male reading role models.
Engaging Parents
In addition to inviting
World Book Day: Stories to Share
parents into the school, Dot
Dogmersfield Primary
One of the themes of World Book Day
Issue 6 is ‘Stories to Share’ which is all about
School
the power of sharing stories together.
On the World Book Day website there sends out a half-termly
are lots of stories to share, linked to
Classics
each age group. https://
www.worldbookday.com/ideas/100-
As a parent you always look forward
to a time when you can share
https://www.worldbookday.com/ ‘Book Corner’ newsletter –
stories-to-share/picture-books/
the books that you enjoyed in your
ideas/100-stories-to-share/age-5-8/
own childhood with your own
https://www.worldbookday.com/
children. Although, sometimes you
ideas/100-stories-to-share/age-9-12/
can be disappointed by the fact
that your children didn’t love the
All three lists contain recommendations
this is a six-page document
book as much as you did! Even though there are so
for new books and also some classics.
many new books out to tempt us, it is always worth
re-visiting old books.
My earliest memories of being read to are from my Mum and Dad reading
me Beatrix Potter, particularly ‘Appley Dapply’ Nursery Rhymes. My
where a wide range of books
Grandma also read me lots of poems from ‘The House at Pooh Corner’.
As I learnt to read myself I remember saving my pocket money to buy a
new Mr Men book each week (before the days of ‘Little Miss, or I would
be buying ‘Little Miss Dotty’!). I loved the brightly coloured illustrations.
At school I was read ‘A very Hungry Caterpillar’ and in Year 3 (which
are recommended. The last
was Junior 1 then) I remember being read ‘Stig of the Dump’. At home I
very quickly started to enjoy anything by Enid
Blyton and loved all of the ‘Secret Seven’, followed
by the ‘Famous Five’ and then the ‘Malory
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Towers’ and ‘Twins of St Clare’s’ books.
Non-Fiction books with a
issue included a revisit to
theme of evolution .................. 2
My favourite book was ‘The Lion the Witch and
Key Stage 1 books .................... 3
the Wardrobe’ and I remember buying it from our
children’s book magazine at school and then being
Key Stage 2 books ................... 4
completely inspired by this story of four children
Adult Book Review .................. 4 the classics, an exploration
discovering another world. My Mum also read me
More Reviews .......................... 5
lots of E Nesbit books.
Competition ............................ 6
Roald Dahl books were also a part of my experience of children’s fiction
and at university I read ‘The BFG’ for the first time,. I have read it many,
many times since to different classes of children over the years.
of non-fiction linked to
New children’s fiction is constantly brought out and
lots of this is extremely high quality. I would still
recommend that we dip into the classics with our
children and share our own reading journeys with
animal evolution, KS1 and
them. Even though they might not agree with our
choices, you will get an interesting discussion out of
why you like the book so much and why they don’t.
KS2 fiction as well as adult
book recommendations. The
reviews are written by pupils
and staff, and there is also
some sort of book-related activity or competition. Although
producing this is quite time-consuming, its effectiveness is
shown by the fact that the books featured are always
borrowed and have long reservation lists; a clear indication
that parents and children are keen to find out more about
what’s available. In addition to the ‘Book Corner.’ a weekly
newsletter is emailed to parents with further
recommendations. Other ways the school reaches out to
parents is via their Twitter feed @DogmersfieldSch, and
through reading evenings where they discuss the importance
of reading and how parents can help.
attend the TaR meetings as well. They enthusiastically talk
about and share books, which impacts on the reading
behaviour and attitude of the pupils, generating a ‘reading
buzz’ throughout the whole school.
Why the Library?
It is generally accepted
that many schools are
struggling financially and
have to make difficult
decisions regarding what
to spend their money on.
Many of the activities
carried out at the school
require time and effort
rather than funds, and can easily be replicated. However,
refurbishing a library and keeping it well-stocked needs a
financial commitment so I asked Dot why she felt this was
important. Her answer? ‘Reading is one of the most important
things. If you don’t have that then you’re a bit lost really.’
Being involved in the TaR group has been interesting. A
couple of other librarians attend plus staff from the Hampshire
School Library Service but the majority are primary teachers,
most tasked with being English-lead or literacy co-ordinator,
and to start with it was clear that their knowledge of children’s
books and authors was limited so it has been great to be able to
share my knowledge as a librarian and recommend some of the
fantastic books available. As the TaR groups have developed,
they have populated the OU website with examples of projects
– a quick look will show you that many of these are activities
already being carried out by school librarians. If you do have a
local group and can get involved then my advice would be to
give it a go; it’s one way school librarians can promote what we
do via collaboration with teaching colleagues – and who
doesn’t like talking about books?
■ Barbara Band is Features Editor of The School Librarian.
Engaging Staff
Like many other primary schools, the school librarian at
Dogmersfield School has a dual role so is also an office
administrator. For small schools, budgets do not stretch to
full-time librarians which is where the expertise and services of
professional librarians at the SLS come into force and are so
important. However, it is easy to see that all staff are on-board
with the school reading ethos. Posters adorn every classroom
door announcing not only what they are currently reading but
also what they have read this year. There are displays linked to
books around the school. Friday staff meetings include a time
to talk about and recommend books, and many of the staff
76 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Enabling Students to Learn by
Finding Out for Themselves
Our Journey from FOSIL to the FOSIL Group
by Darryl Toerien
Features
Figure 1
Like all school librarians, I strive to secure the best possible
future for my school’s library. I do this because I believe that
an education in which the library does not feature centrally is
impoverished.
Since joining Oakham School in September 2008 as Head of
Library and Information Services, I have weathered a change
of Headmaster, Senior Deputy Head, Director of Studies who
then became Deputy Head (Academic), Director of Teaching
and Learning, Head of Upper School (x2), Head of Middle
School, Head of Lower School, Bursar (x2), and Chair of
Trustees (x2). This is not uncommon in a school of our size.
Come September 2019, I will need to weather a change in
Headmaster, Senior Deputy Head, and Director of Teaching
and Learning at the same time. This is an extraordinary
coincidence.
Now while I have done, perhaps, as much as any other
librarian to strengthen my library, it remains at some risk,
because unlike any other Head of Department in the School,
whether Teaching or Support, every change in Senior
Leadership requires me to explain, again, who we are and what
exactly it is that we do. For as long as this lack of
understanding endures, it is arguably only a matter of time
before we face a perfect storm, and whilst the library would
almost certainly survive, it would do so only as a shadow of its
true self.
This struggle is a shared struggle and this is the story of my
struggle to build a school library that is integral and not
peripheral, or worse, unnecessary, to education.
Oakham School offers
Figure 2 the International
Baccalaureate Diploma
Programme, which it
introduced in 2001
alongside A levels, and
will soon also offer the
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme leading
to GCSEs. This presents a unique perspective on and
experience of two conflicting educational paradigms, which
Seymour Papert contrasts in figure 1.
It is difficult to imagine anybody seriously disagreeing with
Papert on this. And yet the first, and dominant, educational
paradigm is geared toward teaching children all they need to
know for an exam, to the extent that effectively positioning
them where they can find what they need to know when they
need to know it is practically impossible. The consequence of
this for the school library is grave because this paradigm,
which Papert terms instructionism, is indifferent, if not
actually hostile, to the school library. The good news is that the
inadequacy of this paradigm in preparing children for their
future is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, and the
second paradigm, which is rooted in constructivism and
gaining ground, is dependent on the school library. This is
both an opportunity and a challenge for school librarians, and
is reflected in the tension between learning at school and
learning at university (see Figure 2, Secker & Coonan, 2011).
While the International Baccalaureate continuum of education
for 3–19-year-olds is not the only alternative to the first
paradigm, it is instructive, largely because it has been part of
the global conversation about the future of education since its
foundation in 1968. 1 Central to the IB’s approach to education
is learning through independent inquiry. Inquiry is more
expansive than research and so requires expertise beyond
research methods, which, in turn, requires training in the
many ways of creating conditions for inquiry, both within and
beyond the classroom. Fundamental to inquiry are a number
of literacies, one of which is information literacy – see figure 3,
which highlights the overlap between the Information Literacy
Landscape (Secker & Coonan, 2011) and Ideal libraries: a
guide for schools (IBO, 2018).
Figure 3
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 77

Features
Figure 4
Furthermore, because effective learning through inquiry
requires professional collaboration between teacher and
librarian, growth in the number of schools offering one or
more IB Programmes 2 is both an opportunity for librarians in
schools to redefine themselves professionally, and a challenge
to do so. Additionally, a continuum of inquiry-based education
that stretches from age 3–19 will develop students who are
better equipped for life and learning beyond school than
students who are merely the product of instructionism.
Since 2011 we have also been drawing on the work of
colleagues in the United States, specifically Barbara Stripling
(2011) and Carol Kuhlthau (2015), resulting in a Framework
Of Skills for Inquiry Learning (FOSIL), which is both a model
of the inquiry process as well as an underlying progression of
inquiry skills (see figure 4).
As FOSIL evolves, mainly due to our deepening understanding
of inquiry but also the on-going work of transplanting it from
foreign soil, so it becomes an increasingly powerful tool for
enabling inquiry, whether controlled, guided or open.
Immediately, this made the Library integral to the Diploma
Programme Extended Essay and also transformed delivery of
and support for the Extended Essay. This, in turn and more
broadly, laid the foundation for the Middle Years Programme,
and is bringing about a more inquiry-based approach even
within GCSE and A level subjects.
As I have shared our journey, we have been joined along the
way by colleagues from 76 schools who are heading in a similar
direction (see table 1). These schools are mostly in England,
although a number are from further afield (like Japan, New
Zealand and Kenya), and are a mix of state (33%), independent
(61%) and other (6%), and include librarians and/or Directors
of Studies (or equivalent) and/or other members of Senior
Leadership, including Heads.
Table 1
Some of these schools have adopted FOSIL, some
have adapted FOSIL, and some have used FOSIL to
complement and/or supplement their own work on inquiry
and/or information literacy. To build and support this growing
community, we have recently created a FOSIL Group website,
which will develop our collective understanding of learning
through inquiry, provide resources to support learning
through inquiry, and facilitate collaboration on designing and
supporting learning through inquiry. Please have a look for
yourself and tell us what you think at www.fosil.org.uk
The purpose of the FOSIL Group is to bring about a reality in
which ‘it is not the library that “supports” the classroom… but
the classroom that leads (or should lead) inevitably and
essentially to the library’ (Beswick, 1967), and which is the
consequence of teachers and librarians collaborating to
position students where they can find what they need to know
when they need to know it.
Only this reality will secure the best possible future for my
school’s library. What will secure the future of yours?
References
1 In evaluating the case for offering the Middle Years
Programme we identified the following influential voices in
this global conversation: Association of American Colleges &
Universities (1915); Harvard Graduate School of Education |
Global Education Innovation Initiative (1920); United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(1946); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (1961); International Baccalaureate (1968);
World Economic Forum (1971); P21 - Partnership for 21st
Century Learning (2002).
2 The number of IB schools has more than doubled in the last
decade, and there are currently 4,942 schools around the
world offering the Primary Years Programme, Middle Years
Programme, Diploma Programme and/or Careers-related
Programme, of which 2,275 are private schools and 2,667 are
state schools; of these, there are currently 143 schools in the
UK offering one or more the IB programmes, of which 62 are
state and 81 are independent and international schools
(Barnes, 2019).
Bibliography
Barnes, J. (Ed.). (2019, January). IB World Schools Yearbook
2019. Retrieved from John Catt Bookshop:
https://cloud.3dissue.com/2389/3124/6925/IB2019/index.html
Beswick, N. (1967). The ‘Library College’ – the ‘True
University’? The Library Association Record, 198-202.
IBO. (2018). Ideal libraries: a guide for schools. Cardiff:
International Baccalaureate Organisation (UK) Ltd.
Kuhlthau, C. C. (2015). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st
Century (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Secker, J., & Coonan, E. (2011, November 1). Supporting
undergraduates of the future: developing a new curriculum for
information literacy. Retrieved from NetworkEd2011 :
https://www.slideshare.net/seckerj/networked2011-9978692
Small, R., Arnone, M. P., Stripling, B. K., & Berger, P. (2011).
Teaching for Inquiry: Engaging the Learner Within. New York:
Neal-Schuman.
■ Darryl Toerien is Head of Library and Archives at Oakham
School, Rutland.
78 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Towards Rural School Libraries
Development
School Librarians’ Workshop and Book
Presentation Ceremony at Katsande Primary
School in Mudzi District, Zimbabwe
by Hosea Tokwe
Features
Introduction:
Most rural schools in Zimbabwe were built way back in the
early 1940s. Katsande Primary School in rural Mudzi District is
no exception; it first started as a grass thatched school. Today,
despite having structures of the 1940s, it remains one of the
most successful schools with strong buildings and is fully
electrified. However, in order to strive and produce good
results, rural schools need to establish and develop their
Libraries so as to support the teaching and learning process.
It was the desire to have adequate books and a well furnished
library, and thus be a shining beacon of Mudzi District, that
motivated the school authorities at Katsande Primary to agree
to host the School Librarians’ Workshop on 23 November
2018. In all, ten schools each represented by two participants
came in full force to take part in this first ever School
Librarians’ Workshop.
passed through Murehwa and
Mutoko Centre, now growing to be a
thriving town with many businesses,
supermarkets and financial
institutions. We took a few minutes
break to buy some food and
refreshments. Zimbabwe is in the
middle of a heat wave but we were
fortunate that the heavens had
opened and we enjoyed drizzly wet
weather on our way. Passing through
villages we observed that the fields
were still barren, although a few
villagers were beginning to plough
their fields. Occasionally villagers
would run alongside us with platefuls
Volunteer Shingai Tokwe
loading books bound for
Katsande School
of mango fruit, tomatoes and onions urging us to buy their
cheap produce.
School Librarians’ Workshop
Katsande School Children on morning Assembly
cheering the arrival of Books
Packaging Boxes and the Journey to Katsande
School
Preparation for the journey started in earnest on 22 November
with the arrangement of transport logistics. A total of 34 boxes
packed with 3,229 books needed to be loaded on the eve of the
journey to Katsande. With three volunteers, Ms Chidembo,
young Shingai Tokwe and the driver, we drove to
Domboshava, a distance of 30 kilometres from Harare. All the
boxes were loaded into a Hiace Toyota Cab and this took us
one and half hours.
Early Friday morning around 5.00 a.m. we took off to Katsande
Primary School. The school is located more than 300km from
Harare off the Nyamapanda Highway. Along the way we
The School Librarians’ Workshop started with a prayer
followed by the singing of the National Anthem. In attendance
were ten schools including: Katsande Primary; Katsande
Secondary; Makaha Primary School; Makaha Secondary
School; Nyarutepo Primary School; Nyakuchena Primary
School; Nyakuchena Secondary School; and Mavhurazi
Primary School. The Katsande School Head, Mr Nyamupira,
gave a Welcome Speech in which he gave details about the
School enrolment and introduced the SDC Chairperson and
Treasurer as well a few members of staff. He expressed
gratitude towards the District Schools Inspector for granting
permission for the Workshop to be held at Katsande Primary
School and thanked all the Schools who had made it to the
Workshop. He briefly gave statistics on the School enrolment
and progress made at the School, particularly the
establishment of the
library computer
laboratory.
Ms F Chidembo,
standing in on behalf
of Dr Chidembo,
gave a background
presentation on the
origin of ‘Aussie
Books for Zim’. She
Katsande School Head gives an Opening
Speech during School Librarians Workshop
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 79

Features
After the Workshop all School Heads, the ‘Aussie Books for
Zim’ Team and the workshop participants were taken on a
tour of the School Computer Laboratory which will be used as
a Library before the construction of a stand-alone Library.
Book Presentation
Katsande School Authorities and Students pose with some
copies of books after the Book Presentation
said Dr Chidembo had his first experience of books and a
Library at Victoria Primary in Masvingo. This ignited his love
for books and reading, and transformed him into an avid
reader resulting in him excelling in his studies up to University
education culminating in him achieving a Doctorate. That
passion for reading finally led him to plough back into the
community that nurtured him, hence the birth of ‘Aussie
Books for Zim’ – a Not-For-Profit Organization which to this
day has collected over 30,000 books from Australia, many
making their way to Zimbabwe.
Mr Tokwe from Midlands State University Library spoke
about value and importance of School Libraries. He stated that
School Libraries are the lifeblood of the School as they provide
material resources and space that have a huge positive effect
on teaching and learning. He went on further to say that a
School Library is a place where young children, often for the
first time, are exposed to so many books that open their minds
to the world around them and also noted that when pupils and
students get exposed to books, they ask questions, their minds
racing to make connections; this is because now they have an
opportunity to read more books. With a school librarian they
have someone who can suggest, lead, persuade and inspire
them to expand their minds with books. He emphasised the
point that the purpose of a School is to support quality
education and to create a meaningful learning and teaching
environment.
Mr Mukucha, the Acting Director of National Free Library,
then gave two presentations, speaking in detail why it is
important to establish and administer a School Library and the
work that is involved. He gave examples of how libraries had
been established in rural Matebeleland. He said when books
are acquired, the first thing is to acknowledge them by
recording each and every book in the Accessions Register,
rather than leaving them to remain in boxes gathering dust.
The next presentation he gave was on organization of
information and how it is important to enable the Librarian to
quickly identify a book. He gave an example of how women
who sell their produce organise and categorise their wares like
tomatoes, onions, carrots and beetroots. Finally he gave out
some hand-outs on Dewey Decimal Classification. His greatest
wish was that, had there been time, some practical exercises
would have been carried out to give the School Librarians the
skills on the stages involved in assigning a class number to a
book.
A total of 3,229 books were presented to Katsande Primary
School. The Local Councillor Representative was at hand to
receive the books in the presence of the Chairperson of the
School Development Committee. Mr Tokwe briefly outlined
how the books were sorted out and categorised according to
subject, level and grades so that they would be suitable for all
the pupils at Katsande Primary School.
The Book Presentation was followed by group photos of all the
community members and school children present.
Workshop Discussion and Evaluation
Workshop Participants filling in
Evaluation Forms
This programme was undertaken to gather information about
the state of School Libraries in the Katsande Cluster.
Mavhurazi Primary School, despite being the first recipient of
books, is facing challenges as School Heads are constantly
transferring and there is no continuity in improving library
provision and development. Nyakuchena School Head said
there is positive development at his School; the room
dedicated as a Library is fully secure with burglar bars, hence
the School is ready to receive news books. Makaha Primary
School Library is now at slab level and they are also more than
ready to receive books. Other schools also have expressed an
interest in receiving books and utilising them for the benefit of
school children. The Nyakuchena School Head encouraged
other schools in the Cluster to join the Whatsapp platform so
that they can share ideas and suggestions as well as link up
with Dr Chidembo to update him on their state of
preparedness to receive book donations. All the Workshop
Participants completed questionnaires on behalf of their
Schools and were all presented with library manuals, posters,
and handouts.
The Workshop ended at 12.45 p.m and all attendees were
treated to a sumptuous lunch.
■ Hosea Tokwe is Chief Library Assistant at Midlands State
University, Zimbabwe.
80 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

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digital
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82 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019
Carel Library Learner
Quiz Pack for Secondary Schools
https://carelpress.uk/library_success_quiz_pack
This online resource contains 33 interactive quizzes for secondary schools. The user-friendly
interface allows pupils to select a quiz from the options available in the pack – there is a good
range of themes and subjects including Library Skills & the Internet, Books & Authors, British and
World History; also quizzes on General Knowledge such as Capitals, Space and Animals.
There are different levels of ability in some themes such as general knowledge, so this Quiz Pack
is suitable for a wide range of secondary pupils, particularly (but certainly not exclusively) Key
Stage 3. Our pupils participate in quizzes on the library iPads (they work really well in this format)
and this enables pupils to compete against each other to see who can obtain the highest scores
in a quiz. It doesn’t take long to complete each quiz, usually under 5 minutes, so this ensures that
the activity fits neatly into a lesson.
The format of quizzes can vary, with some being the standard multiple choice options:
There are also ‘drag and drop’ style questions, and the ‘draw a line’ format:
These different question styles help to maintain
interest; there’s no fuss if a pupil answers incorrectly,
and the answers are revealed after two attempts. A
final score is awarded at the end of each quiz, and
the library learner pack comes with tools that allow
the librarian/teacher to see student activity live in
their admin area, and also to look back at students’
scores to see the themes where they might
improve. The librarian/teacher can also print
certificates, these tools are all available in the
admin area.
Carel will add more quizzes in the future – and
hopefully it will be possible for librarians to
create a quiz and to send their questions to
them. They currently offer a week’s free trial of
this Quiz Pack – it’s worth mentioning that there is also a Primary School version of the Quiz Pack
which was reviewed in the Spring 2019 edition of The School Librarian.
Indeed, the secondary version is broadly similar to the original version but with some small
changes to language and images. There are also two extra quizzes: one on Climate Change, the
other on the European Union; here’s a link to a trial of the former:
http://quiz.carelpress.uk/climatechange
Overall, I rate the Library Learner Quiz Pack for Secondary Schools as a quality learning resource
for the school library at an affordable price, which requires no installation! The thinking behind
the quizzes is to teach library skills in an interactive way that makes learning more like a game
and which also gives immediate feedback to students so that skills are reinforced.
Cathal Coyle, Librarian, St. Patrick’s College Dungannon
■ See TSL 67-1 Spring 2019 p22 for a review of the Quiz Pack for Primary Schools.
Read online at www.sla.org.uk/sla-digital

Padlet
https://en-gb.padlet.com/dashboard
Padlet is a fun and easy educational
technology that I use frequently to connect
to students in the library and with other
librarians and teachers around the world.
Think of Padlet as a virtual wall where you
can share your ideas in a variety of formats
including text, images and videos. It’s free
to join and you can add posts from your
desktop, a tablet or your mobile device.
Creating a Padlet wall is easy and intuitive. Once you’ve created one
you can choose how people see posts. There are a variety to choose
from, each allowing users to interact with posts in a different way.
Next, you can choose how people see your Padlet. For instance, you
can make it only accessible via a special url and password. Then you
can choose if those with the password can edit your Padlet or simply
view it. Do this by clicking on ‘Share’ and then ‘People & Privacy.’
There are numerous ways to use Padlet with your students. For
instance, I created a Padlet with a unique url and password which I
gave to our Manga Club students. The purpose of this wall is to simply
have the students to let me know which Manga they’d like the library
to have. This means the students can access this wall at their leisure
and provide recommendations.
We also use Padlet for book discussion and
reflection. A few years ago our book club
members read Patrick Ness’ A Monster
Calls as did a book club located in North
Carolina. Together we wrote our thoughts
as we progressed through each chapter. We
also used Padlet to introduce ourselves and
talk about our home cities and schools.
I have used Padlet to collect questions that students were hoping to
ask authors. I’ve also used it as a way to teach students about their
digital footprint by asking them this question: ‘If someone Googled you
ten years from now, what would you hope they see?’ I collected their
responses on a Padlet, it was a really amazing way to track student
awareness of their online presence.
It can also be used for collective research projects, collecting feedback
after a specific lesson or event, asking open ended questions,
brainstorming, noticeboards, news and current events pages and much
more.
I love Padlet because it is safe and secure and looks sleek. It’s also a
lot of fun to see student responses appear on the wall in real time and
share them back at the end of the lesson. There really is no limit as to
how you can use this tool in the library or classroom.
Lucas Maxwell, Librarian, Glenthorne High School
Pearson Resources
digital
Free English resources for the classroom
https://tinyurl.com/y2zg4kz3
See the word ‘free’ and I am instantly attracted. So the free Pearson resources
were a real hit - with a wide range of topics covered.
As librarians are so
good at sharing – I
immediately
forwarded the link
to our English
Department and to
my surprise they
hadn’t seen the
offer until they saw
my email... so Brownie points for me. The English Department particularly
enjoyed the World Grammar Day resources, saying ‘vocabulary is now a hot
subject with Ofsted, so these help sheets arrived at the right time for us.’
I also sent the link to our Primary Phase who quickly responded with lots of
positivity. I feel confident that the resources (activities, worksheets and even
lesson plans) will be well-used by my Primary colleagues, with the environment
resource already added to their Year 5/6 planning. Such a lot of work has been
taken away from the teacher – all the resources are designed to take the
pressure off! The class teacher of Year 4 commented on the weather and
temperatures resources, saying, ‘to prepare this class work would have taken me
hours, even days, so I am extremely grateful.’
It’s always good to
receive feedback...
not all resources
have been used, but
quite a lot have, so I
was very pleased. I
was also pleased to
see just how quick
colleagues were to
discuss the
resources, chatting amongst themselves and emailing me their thanks. Obviously
I wanted to look over the resources myself to see if anything could be useful to
me as the librarian - and to my delight there were lots. My only disappointment
was that I couldn’t open the resources on my iPhone... but that was easily
solved.
Some of my favourites
Adult resources:
■ Reading Habits
Secondary resources – themed:
■ World Grammar Day (a fantastic aid for the English Dept and Librarian)
■ Poetry Day
■ Valentine’s Day
■ Christmas (complete with an advent calendar!)
■ Family Tree
For me being able to share resources with departments is a must – it helps
draw us together, creates stronger links and generally keeps us talking about
what we do. So, it only leaves me to say thank you Pearson for sharing these
with us and I very much hope you’ll continue to offer similar free resources to
schools.
Val Dewhurst, Librarian, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School
Read online at www.sla.org.uk/sla-digital
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 83

digital
Kidscape
Preventing Bullying
www.kidscape.org.uk
Kidscape is a charity working with children, families, carers and professionals to prevent bullying. They offer
advice, deliver training, work directly with children, parents and carers, and raise awareness of bullying and
how to stop it.
The website contains information about bullying, such as what it is and isn’t, together with the effects of bullying and its impact on the child being bullied,
bystanders and the school. Sexting and cyberbullying are also covered as well as friendships and ‘frenemies’, self-harm and suicide. There is practical advice for
children and parents/carers including strategies on being assertive, internet safety and online risk, and where to get help, including advice lines and support by
email.
Kidscape programmes include ZAP, a free one-day workshop for children and young people aged 9–16
years who have experienced bullying. These sessions also involve parents and carers and you can apply
online, although not all geographical areas are covered. They also deliver 30 minute assemblies followed
by a 2-hour workshop in schools for Years 5 and 6. The aim of these is to empower children and increase
their self-confidence. Again, only certain areas are covered and you can apply online.
Training is available including basic safeguarding, bullying awareness, peer mentoring (to enable you to
set up a peer mentor programme in your school) and online safety training for teachers and other staff.
These are all chargeable.
The resources area contains a lot of useful downloadable booklets and leaflets as well as links to related websites with further information and resources, such
as the Anti-Bullying Alliance. These are organised under:
■ Classroom resources: Friendship Friday and Anti-Bullying Week pack for Primary Schools; Being Me – a free anti-bullying resource for Years 5–8 that
celebrates difference and promotes inclusion; Worksheets with ideas on promoting friendship, and dealing with anger and emotions
■ Guides for parents, carers and grandparents on how to support your bullied child, preventing bullying and a holiday safety guide
■ A series of short videos to use with pre-school children on the theme of ‘Feeling Happy, Feeling Safe’
■ Resources for young people including a booklet aimed at primary age children, cyber-bullying advice and moving up to secondary school
■ Resources for professionals that cover policies and procedures.
The website is clear, with uncluttered pages and a search facility. On first glance it appears to be fairly sparse but it is worth spending some time browsing to
discover the wide range of information and resources available for both primary and secondary pupils, as well as those working with them and their parents.
Barbara Band, School Library Consultant
Makey Makey
https://makeymakey.com
Makey Makey is an invention kit with thousands of uses. It allows you to turn everyday objects into computer
keyboards and touchpads.
It does this through connecting alligator clips to almost anything you want. The clips are connected to a board that plugs into your computer through a USB
drive. From there, the sky is really the limit.
You can start off easy by connecting the clips to bananas and opening up a scratch piano game on your PC. The bananas are now the keys needed to play the
piano!
I’ve used Makey Makey to allow students to create their own inventions and run wild with it. We’ve had students make their own version of Pac Man on
Scratch, they controlled Pac Man through the game by connecting the alligator clips to marshmallows and squeezing them when they wanted him to move.
We’ve played Tetris with Play-Doh, Super Mario with graphite pencils and more. It’s not all video games though. Students can use Makey Makey to learn about
circuitry, coding, maths, science and much more. You can also combine with other products like LEGO to make switches, musical devices and much more.
Makey Makey costs £40 for the starter kit and is well worth it to foster a love of
invention. Knowledge of Scratch is also preferable. I’m fortunate in that the
students I work with all seem to be quite knowledgeable with Scratch. That said,
there are several Makey Makey ideas out there that do not require Scratch.
What is great about the product is that there is a huge range of online material
out there to get started. For me, I use it to allow the students to explore and
have fun. It’s a really great tool to encourage independent thinking and creativity
and a good starter product if you are thinking of having a maker space in your
library.
Lucas Maxwell, Librarian, Glenthorne High School
84 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Time Traveler
Exploring the lexicon
https://tinyurl.com/ycnq8873
Anybody familiar with the Merriam-Webster dictionary site will know how
rich with words it is. With vocabulary challenges, word of the day, word
games, obscure words and pronunciations it is a very interesting site to
explore regularly.
The Time Traveler site by the same company is fascinating for any
vocabulary gatherer as it lets you, first of all, choose a year. When you click
on the chosen year it gives you every word which was added to the
dictionary in that year. You can then click on any word which appeals to
you and it gives you several bits of interesting information such as
examples of the word in a sentence, first known use, subject and even how
popular the word is by how many times it has been looked up.
I firstly chose the year of my birth just out of interest and the word which
first caught my eye, because I hadn’t heard it before, was blaxploitation.
The definition of the word is the exploitation of people of colour by film
producers and was first used in 1972. There are links from the word to the
Encyclopaedia Britannica article on it and social media sharing links.
As well as the time travel words there are also main page links above the
search box to a thesaurus, a word of the day which today was ‘boycott’
and has facts about the word below the definition, pronunciation videos
which you can watch to hear how unfamiliar words sound and words that
play with usage and grammar.
The video I watched was the 3.59 minute Word of the Year 2018 which
was Justice. There are also clips where words are explained visually in
conversational videos which for anybody learning the English language
would be highly useful.
I spent a lot of time on the website because it really fed into my fascination
and obsession with words and language. It would be an excellent learning
tool for classes and a fun activity for book groups. Any SEN department
would be able to use the site to introduce students to new vocabulary in a
stimulating and engaging way. Although it is primarily an American
dictionary site, English spellings can also be found and defined.
Beth Khalil, Librarian, Thorp Academy
Puffin Primary
Resource Packs
(Free)
digital
https://tinyurl.com/y2a6p2u6
An increasing number of publishers are busily creating teacher and library
resources for new titles, adding value and reducing workload – for example
Hachette’s pack on The Boy at the Back of the Classroom
(https://tinyurl.com/y2kcm26h). Puffin have taken a slightly different
approach with their new activity packs. Rather than being based on specific
titles, they are age based, and offer a variety of resources based on Puffin
titles – for example, the 0-5 edition features colouring pages on Spot the
Dog and Peter Rabbit, a set of monster horns inspired by There’s a Monster
in Your Book, some design activities (hairstyles based on The Fairytale
Hairdresser, and boots based on The Tale of Kitty in Boots as well as other
activities based on Puffin picture books. While this is less useful from a
teaching point of view than a focussed pack, it’s perfect for either printing
as a booklet to offer to young siblings on an open day, or printing as sheets
to give to children who have finished activities.
The other two packs are ‘6+’, which is actually 6–8, and include sheets
inspired by Wonder Woman (from Puffin’s DC Super Hero Girls series),
Michael Rosen, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Audition, among others.
The last offering is for 9–12 years old: write in copperplate, make a mask of
Tracy Beaker, design a new cover for Pollyanna as well as word searches,
science activities and more. They’re all interesting offerings with a wide
interest range. Overall, a high-quality set of free resources which hopefully
will become an ongoing series.
Once you’ve exhausted the three packs, the rest of Puffin’s website is well
worth exploring. The ‘Children’s Articles’ page
(https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children.html) offers lots of information
for librarians and teachers (book extracts,
new books, etc.) and parents (more science
experiments, video tutorials by Nick Sharatt
and a rather good podcast featuring Jeff
Kinney – there’s even a really good ‘bedtime
story’ podcast, which might be useful for
parents who aren’t confident
about reading to their children. A
website full of imaginative, useful
and up to date information, and a
recommended stop on the
information superhighway!
Adrian Thompson, ICT, Communications
& Library, Sandal Primary School
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 85

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The Jelly Book Club
https://jellybookclub.wordpress.com
The Jelly Book Club site has been created by Jo Cotterill and is based on her
book Jelly. The site is aimed at readers, librarians, teachers and writers and there
is something for everyone to browse. On opening the site, the colours are vibrant,
and it is nicely set out. There is a biography page which is all about Jo and has
author details together with personal anecdotes from her childhood. She also
shares some early artwork and stories which she wrote when she was younger.
There is a page all about Angelica (Jelly)
who is the main character in the book. It
shows a map of the flat Jelly lives in with
her Mum and there are also lots of details
about her family which fans of the book will
love. There are also poems from the book
explained with an analytical plan of the
poem ‘Walrus’. For readers who haven’t yet
read Jelly but have loved Jo’s other books,
there is the first chapter of Jelly to read as
well as a timeline from idea to publication
which was very interesting to read. It gives
readers an understanding of how an idea
eventually becomes reality in book form and what goes into publishing a novel.
As well as the timeline, there are various other pages on Jelly such as the editing
process of the story, deleted scenes and how the blurb was created. Jo
encourages her readers to send in their own poems for the site and there is a
lovely poem called ‘Looks’ written by Breyanna. I enjoyed browsing the book list
which librarian Barbara Band put together on issues similar to the situations Jelly
goes through in the book. There are some fantastic titles on the list which I have
very much enjoyed reading myself.
I was most impressed by the excellent resources and schemes of work around the
novel which can be downloaded in pdf form for teachers or librarians who use
Jelly as a class text. The book covers lots of themes which can be used in Art,
Drama, DT or Geography and students can explore poetry, writing and storytelling
in the classroom as well.
I found this site easy to navigate and thought it was brilliant that it was all based
around a single novel. I think any reader who enjoys Jo’s books will want to try
this book after browsing The Jelly Book Club website.
Beth Khalil, Librarian, Thorp Academy
Twitter Authors to Follow
Following authors on Twitter is a great way to keep up to date with their
latest books and they are usually very good at replying to any comments
from kids that you tag them into – complimentary ones preferred of
course! I found it very hard to choose just ten, let’s just say these are for
starters… check out your favourite author and see if they’re on Twitter!
Malorie Blackman
@malorieblackman
Steve Cole
@SteveColeBooks
Jo Cotterill
@jocotterillbook
Christopher Edge
@edgechristopher
86 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019
Candy Gourlay
@candygourlay
Shirley Hughes
@ShirleyHughes
Chris Riddell
@chrisriddell50
S. F. Said
@whatSFSaid
Piers Torday
@PiersTorday
Joffre White
@JoffreWhite
10 From Instagram
Ten interesting Instagram accounts to add to your
follow list, this issue focussing on illustrators.
@chris_riddell
@jackiemorrisartist
@ramonakaulitzki
@jabberworks
@chrismouldink
@mrjamesmayhew
@gilliangambleartist
@poonammistryart
@quentinblake
@frankmorrison
Bonus! This one’s a hashtag but if you’re a Potterhead
like me it’s definitely worth a look:
#jimkayillustrations
Bev Humphrey, Literacy & Technology Consultant
Barbara Band, School Library Consultant
Read online at www.sla.org.uk/sla-digital

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Reviews
Editorial
Under 8
8 to 12
8 to 12 fiction
8 to 12 information
Poetry & Plays
12 to 16
12 to 16 fiction
12 to 16 information
16 to 19
Professional
Books and material for review
should be sent by to:
Reviews Editor
1 Pine Court
Kembrey Park
Swindon SN2 8AD
88 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019
Martin Salter
Of late, one of the highlights of my year has been Egmont Publishing UK’s Annual
Consumer Insight Presentation. Egmont co-funds Nielsen Book Research’s annual
Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer survey into the reading habits of UK
children aged 0–17. This year the focus of the presentation was very much on
reading aloud with the number of children being read to daily, by an adult for
pleasure, being down by 4% since last year and 9% since 2012 and sits at just 32%. It
also revealed that most parents stop reading to children by the age of eight and
reading beyond eight is disproportionately reading to girls and not boys. This is true
across all socio-economic groups and regardless of parent’s education. Alison David,
Consumer Insight Director at Egmont said ‘many parents confuse literacy with
reading for pleasure’. They think that if a child has mastered the skill of reading they
no longer need to be read to and yet this is the most effective way to encourage them
to read independently. Research shows that even when a child seems keen on
reading at eight, if they are not read to as well, by the time they reach their teenage
years they are likely to have slowed down or even stopped.
I don’t think I need to repeat again all the evidence of the importance of reading for
pleasure and the impact, not just on attainment, but on empathy and wellbeing.
Reading aloud was a crucial strand of the Reading for Pleasure pedagogy identified in
the Teachers as Readers research led by Professor Teresa Cremin of the OU.
‘Research indicates that reading aloud to young people, without attendant work, is a
key pedagogic and professional practice in fostering reading for pleasure’ Even the
draft Ofsted inspection framework (2019) underscores the value of reading aloud to
children. As Teresa says ‘this is not just crucial in the early years but across primary
schooling and beyond.’
Over the past few years Egmont has been working with schools and retailers on a
number of projects to explore how to increase the numbers of children being read to
and reading for themselves and how to reach those children least likely to read for
pleasure. The latest is the Stories and Choices project. Egmont partnered with St
Joseph’s Catholic Academy, Stoke-on-Trent, in Autumn 2018 to see whether daily
teacher-led storytime sessions would inspire a greater love of reading in children.
Over just a five-month period teachers recorded a dramatic improvement in
children’s reading skills (RA averages up by an average of 10 months – twice as
much as would normally be expected over the timeframe). Teachers also noted a
‘profound’ improvement in wellbeing as well as a significantly greater level of
excitement around books, magazines (part of the project involved sending
magazines to the school which children could keep – Egmont is a significant
publisher of magazines too- and free choice of reading material a key concept) and
the reading process. Headteacher Laura Hamilton said ‘ Despite the time pressures,
all the children and staff agreed that it was well worth investing in reading aloud
each day.’
I highly recommend reading all the research reports in full
(https://www.egmont.co.uk/research/) and I hope that it inspires you to be the
person who creates reading aloud opportunities in your school. I am absolutely
talking about secondary schools too. What could be better for stressed exam
students than flopping on cushions and being read to for twenty minutes. Help
teachers discover the right texts to read (lots to be found in this edition!) Encourage
older students to read aloud to younger ones – a lovely thing to do with feeder
schools. I have seen schools who record bedtime stories on YouTube for parents and
children to access. You could do a library podcast with a chapter a day/week. Have a
live session, but record it to widen the reach and allow people to catch up. If children
are not getting read-to at home, we have to fill that gap. If you need more inspiration
listen to Michael Morpurgo’s poem written to support Egmont’s call for action at
https://www.egmont.co.uk/blog/michael-morpurgo-shares-a-special-original-poemlets-tell-tales/.
#GreatSchoolLibraries must be a hothouse to foster reading for
pleasure and reading aloud to pupils of all ages is too good a tool to miss!
Joy Court, Reviews Editor

Under 8
Agee, Jon
The Wall in the Middle of the Book
Scallywag Press, 2019, pp36, £12.99
978 1 912650 04 0
There is a brick wall down the
centre of every spread in this
picturebook, one which
separates two very different
worlds. Our hero, a young
knight, lives on the left hand
side, in what he believes to be
the ‘safe’ side, protected from the dangers that lie
on the right beyond the wall: a huge rhinoceros, a
ferocious tiger, a grumpy looking gorilla and, most
fearsome of all, the ogre who would gobble him
up in a trice. What he fails to notice, however, are
the slowly rising waters on his own side, and the
perils that lurk within. As he climbs a ladder up
the wall he misses the hungry crocodile, and just
as the waters threaten to overwhelm him
completely and the giant fish gets ever closer, he
is plucked to safety by the ogre – who turns out
to be friendly, of course, and takes him off to have
fun with the wild animals, not so wild after all.
The illustrations let us see what the knight does
not, so that the young reader is quickly able to
reassess where safety lies. This is the perfect book
for exploring the unspecified fears of early
childhood and, in the final joyful spread,
recognising that things are not always as scary as
they seem.
Marianne Bradnock
al Serkal, Maryam and Luciani,
Rebeca
Mira’s Curly Hair
Lantana Publishing, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 911373 61 2
Mira’s Curly Hai reminds me of myself! I have
curly hair which is sometimes quite unruly and
reading this story made me think of how, as a
child, I wished for nothing more than it to be
straight. Long or short it just would not behave so
I wondered what I, and other children with curly
hair could learn from Mira.
It seems that Mira is just like I was, and I am sure
like many curly-haired children are too – she
longs for straight hair. The brushes, combs and
tubes that cover the end papers as well as the
pages of the story prove that Mira, just like all of
us, tries everything. Pulling it down won’t work –
it just pops up again; standing on her head
doesn’t do the trick, old books won’t help either.
What is Mira to do?
Mama has straight hair, this is why Mira wants
hers to stop curling – also she can look just like
mama, therefore imagine her surprise when a
walk in the rain transforms mama, bringing out
her curls and making her beautiful and free.
A simple story, repeating words for children to
remember and yet progressing at a good pace. A
clever story demonstrating that we need to accept
ourselves for who we are. Explaining to children
how we are all different, each of us unique and
that it is our very uniqueness which makes us
who we are. A story for all those with curly hair
who ever wished for it to be straight. A story
whose words are reinforced by bright and bold
illustration.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Almond, David and Pinfold, Levi
The Dam
Walker, 2018, pp28, £12.99
978 1 4063 0487 9
This has to be the perfect author/illustrator
collaboration: the lyrical words of David Almond
with the dreamy, haunting pictures of Levi Pinfold.
Based on a true story – the creation of an
artificial lake in Northumberland in the early
1980s – it follows the early morning conversation
of a father and daughter as they journey through
a soon to be lost landscape. He wakes her and
tells her to bring her fiddle. He reminisces about
the times he spent in the places they walk
through. They go into abandoned stone houses
and Kathryn plays her violin while her father
dances. One by one, they fill each of the houses
with music. The illustrations are sepia in tone,
underlining the fact that everything we see is
soon to be consigned to the past; the two figures
have an ethereal, almost ghostly appearance. But
it’s not, in the end, a sad story, for we are told
that when the flooding is finally complete, ‘the
lake is beautiful’. A full colour spread shows the
two of them looking out over a wide expanse of
water, and we learn that the music will stay
forever in and around the lake, and inside the
hearts of the people who live there now. This is a
wonderful story about man and his environment,
how we remember, and how we adapt to change.
Marianne Bradnock
Antony, Steve
Amazing
Hodder, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 444 94470 9
This confident, bright picture book is narrated by
a young boy who loves his pet. Though it’s not a
cat or a dog, this is a different type of pet…
Zibbo is a dragon. He loves Zibbo and all the fun
they have together, including playing games with
the boy’s friends. Although Zibbo is not quite as
great when it comes to birthday parties, especially
when he gets over-excited by the birthday
candles!
This delightful book is a celebration of friendship,
difference and being yourself. Whilst the text
concentrates on Zibbo and all the fun pet-like
things he can do, even though he’s not a typical a
pet, the illustrations show that the narrator is a
Under 8
wheelchair user who, encouraged by Zibbo, can
also do all the fun things his able-bodied friends
do. The celebration of diversity further extends to
the boy’s ethnically diverse group of friends.
A perfect book for starting conversations about
difference, understanding and acceptance, but
without a heavy, didactic feel. With the short
sentences and the fun, uncluttered style we
expect from Steve Antony, Amazing really is
amazing.
Amy McKay
Bailey Smith, Ben and Akyüz, Sav
Bear Moves
Walker, 2019, pp40, £11.99
978 1 40635926 8
Bear Moves is a book that is
just plain fun from
beginning to end. With its
hilarious illustrations and
rhythmic text, it could
appeal to almost any age of
reader. Not just appeal to them, but also motivate
them into action. On the first page, Bear, looking
a little shy, introduces himself – but it doesn’t
take him long to get moving. Turn the page and
we see him confidently strutting his stuff. Bear
can certainly throw some shapes!
How adults choose to share this book with
children will depend on the age of the pupils as
there are many ways to respond. There is probably
a term’s worth of movement lessons to be
garnered from the pictures and great language
work thinking of words to describe each dance.
Every page is full of fun. I particularly like the idea
of hula hooping with a multicoloured doughnut.
Although Bear Moves is most likely end up being
shared in the infant department, it would be great
to see it being offered in all primary classrooms.
Clear a space, get some music going and enjoy!
Prue Goodwin
Baker, Laura and Rozelaar, Angie
The Colour of Happy
Hodder, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 44493 967 5
A little boy walks along with his dog. He sees a
beautiful dandelion seedhead. His eyes light up
and the pale blue background of the first double
page spread changes to yellow on the second.
‘Yellow is for happy when I spot a special thing.’
Holding it in his hand, he hops and skips. But
then the wind blows his treasure away. Now the
background colour is a deep dark blue to match
his sadness. By the next page it’s red. ‘Red is for
my anger when I have to watch it go.’ By
visualising different states of mind through its use
of colour, The Colour of Happy provides a simple
way for young children to recognise different
moods, their own and other people’s, and to see
that even though situations can feel difficult at
times, they can change for the better. The values
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 89

Under 8
of friendship and sharing come through strongly.
The clear, uncomplicated rhyming and rhythmical
text, with just a few words on each page, is very
well complemented by the bold and expressive
illustrations. There are some lovely subtle details
in the pictures. The dog’s emotional responses on
each page echo those of the boy. The seedhead,
which is never referred to as anything other than
‘the special thing’, is exquisite when the boy first
sees it. On each page more seeds disappear. By
the time it reaches the boy’s mother it is
dilapidated, with just three seeds left, a fact that
is important to neither of them. This is an
affirming and helpful book that will support
wellbeing, empathy and mindfulness, and provide
a valuable starting point for useful and important
discussions, one-to-one or with groups.
Anne Harding
Barrow, David
The Big Race
Hodder, 2018, pp32, £12.99
978 1 444 92928 7
It is the day of The Big Race and signing up with
a range of animal athletes who are displaying the
traditional sporting attributes of speed, size and
strength, is an unassuming little Aardvark.
The message of this heartwarming story is that
taking part is just as important as winning, and
don’t listen to people who tell you that you can’t
succeed. Aardvark shows that with determination
and confidence you can, and this little creature
ends the race with grace and style.
This is Barrow’s third outing as author and
illustrator and his gorgeous illustration style of
diffused colour hues, ink splatters and painterly
textures is perfect for showing a desert race
across the African plains.
Emma Carpendale
Bee, William
Arty! The First Artist in Space
Pavilion, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 84365 412 4
This bright, humorous picture book follows
William Bee’s earlier title, Arty! The Greatest Artist
in the World, with further exploits of Arty the frog
artist. Every year space scientists have asked a
famous artist to go up into space to paint it and
all have said no, until Mr Grimaldi, who sells
Arty’s paintings, says yes on his behalf. So, after
some rigorous space tests, off Arty goes. He is
disappointed that there is nothing interesting to
paint on the moon, but then he has a brainwave.
Will the scientists be happy that the moon has
been turned into a giant green and yellow frog?
Maybe not!
This is a very funny picture book with plenty of
child appeal. The illustrations are bold and brightly
coloured with strong black outlines, coloured
contrasting frames around the pages, clear font,
quirky details to pore over and Arty himself, who
stares out of the pages with a slightly bemused
expression. There are laugh out loud funny
moments, the effect of space training on paint
being one of them, and the spread of famous
artists saying no is clever, amusing and intriguing.
This engaging picture book has plenty to say
about art, imagination and creativity whilst being
completely entertaining throughout.
Sue Roe
Bell, Davina and Colpoys, Allison
All the Ways to Be Smart
Scribe Publications, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 91161 755 6
This confidence-boosting,
jaunty and inclusive picture
book celebrates the value of
individuality through activities
young children enjoy in school
and at home, from art to
maths to reading. There are
many interpretations of being clever and they
don’t all involve getting the right answer all the
time. All The Ways to Be Smart includes the
importance of developing the imagination,
through drawing dinosaurs to building rockets
from junk and just daydreaming. The book also
covers behaviour issues, such as sharing, being
kind to shy children and asking questions. I
appreciated the inclusion of ‘sitting still and quiet
for ages’: the child is shown dressed in fairy wings
sitting staring into space on a tree branch,
dreaming up new stories.
Colpoys’ colourful illustrations, drawn in ink,
charcoal and pencil, complement the rhyming text
perfectly. I particularly liked the pages showing
children and friendly monsters enjoying tea
together and the girl riding the dragon across the
sea. Highly recommended for reading aloud at
primary schools.
Lucy Chambers
Blackall, Sophie
Hello Lighthouse
Orchard, 2019, pp48, £12.99
978 1 40835 716 3
The lighthouse stands on ‘on the highest rock of
a tiny island at the edge of the world… guiding
the ships on their way.’ One day a new keeper
comes who replaces the old for it is essential that
the light must always be lit. The keeper works
very hard, but he longs for his wife to join him.
And at last she does. Life in the lighthouse is
always busy with storms and ice and sometimes
illness too. Their new baby brings great joy. But
times begin to change; a letter arrives to
announce that a new light will be installed with
a machine which will run it. And so finally the
family leave for the mainland. A surprise twist as
the story closes leaves a heart-warming
denouement.
This fabulous book won the 2019 Caldecott
Award in the United States. The author/illustrator
tells a powerful story of the lives of men and
women in the not so distant past whose courage
and fortitude kept ships safe at sea. The
illustrations in Chinese ink and watercolour create
an atmosphere which moves quickly from cosy to
dramatic and back again. A two-page note from
the author at the end provides some more
fascinating details about the history of lighthouses
and their keepers.
Rosemary Woodman
Corderoy, Tracey and Massini, Sarah
The Boy and the Bear
Nosy Crow, 2018, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78800 309 4
From the smooth, matt
cover liberally sprinkled with
foil snowflakes, to the very
last page, this is a book to
treasure. Sarah Massini uses
a seasonal colour palette
throughout the book, with
the boy’s red hat an unmistakable feature of every
page. We meet the boy as he runs down a hill,
throwing a paper aeroplane. The depiction of
nature is beautifully done, and you can almost
feel the fresh breeze that stirs the leaves on the
nearby tree. Space is used to great effect to
demonstrate how lonely he feels. All the best
games need two. Bear passes by, but he’s too shy
to speak to the boy, and anyway, the boy
dismisses him as being just a bear. Before long a
tentative form of communication begins in the
form of paper boats floated to one another. The
boy is disappointed when he sees it was Bear all
along, but when he sees how dejected Bear is he
calls him back and asks him to play. They try all of
Boy’s games, but Bear is too big, or too heavy, or
just doesn’t understand the game. They realise
that they need to try something else. One Autumn
morning Bear has an idea. Soon they have a
treehouse in the glorious autumnal branches of
an oak tree, built together. There they stay until
Winter begins, and Bear leaves. Boy waits,
drawing and thinking about his friend. When
Spring thaws the water, boats reappear with
messages from Bear and soon they are together
again.
This tale of unlikely friendship, and of making
space in your life for someone who may seem
very different, is brought to life by the
illustrations. The body language of both bear and
boy speak volumes – in one image the boy
stands with his hand on his hip very clearly
thinking ‘What on earth are you doing?!’ as he
watches Bear, bent backwards under the weight
of logs, hurrying across the grass clearly intent on
a mission. The sense of wide-open spaces and of
nature taking its course make the landscape a
third character.
Helen Thompson
90 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

David, Donna and Butcher, Dan
Dear Daddy (RAF)
Dear Mummy (Army)
Dear Daddy (Navy)
Little Troopers, 2019, £10.00 (bundle)
https://bit.ly/2Z74qcg
Published in conjunction with military charity Little
Troopers, this set of books tell of the experiences
that young children have when a parent is away
from home on a military exercise and will help
classmates to empathise. Each book presents a
set of letters from a young child to their parent,
and each letter explores a different challenge that
the child might be facing. From missed birthdays
to not being able to wave goodbye, each book
finishes with a reference to the parent coming
home.
These books perfectly represent the many
emotions that all family members have when
faced with a lengthy deployment. All the Armed
Forces are represented, and as a military wife and
mother, I could truly identify with these books,
and I am sure this will be true of many service
families.
Hannah Breslin
Deutsch, Georgiana and Trukhan,
Ekaterina
Perfectly Polite Penguins
Little Tiger, 2019, pp32, £10.99
978 1 78881 475 1
Penguins know how to
be perfectly polite. They
always wait their turn
and they love sharing
their toys. Dialogue in
the illustrations provides
examples of desirable
behaviours, such as
‘Please may I play with the kite now?’
However, Polly the penguin misbehaves! Each
of Polly’s misdemeanours is shouted in capital
letters.
When Polly’s bad behaviour start to influence the
other penguins and mayhem ensues, baby Peter
becomes upset at the noise. Polly sensitively
realises and restores peace and calm.
All this is portrayed with humour and lightness
of touch as the playful alliteration leads the
reader to expect. The block coloured
background vividly supports the comical black
and white penguins. The reader is sometimes
directly addressed, as when Polly is asked to say
hello to us, but instead laughs and pulls a funny
face. The story is a lovely exploration of manners
whilst remembering that no-one is perfect all of
the time. It is a very useful illustration and
discussion point for parents, nursery and early
Key Stage 1 teachers. Highly recommended.
Carolyn Boyd
Donaldson, Julia and King-Chai,
Sharon
Animalphabet
Two Hoots, 2018, pp68, £14.99
978 1 50980 163 3
This wonderful collaboration between wordsmith,
Julia Donaldson and exquisite illustrator, Sharon
King-Chai, is a delightful, interactive and fun read.
The combination of die-cut pages and intricate
flaps and fold-outs with King-Chai’s beautifully
detailed and characterful art make this a stunning
book. The clever format of the story, an alphabet
of animals, great and small, each letter leading to
the next with a clue in both the text and the
illustration was loved by both my 6-year-old and
3-year-old. They delighted in guessing which ‘D’ is
faster than a caterpillar, which ‘J’ is more wobbly
than an iguana and which ‘O’ might hug tighter
than a nightingale. This is a useful book for letter
sounds and recognition, too. It was not just the
ending that led my girls to head straight back to
the start of the book, but their own excitement to
play the Animalphabet game again!
Eleanor Rutherford
Donaldson, Julia and Rayner
Catherine
The Go-Away Bird
Macmillan, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 50984 358 9
This collaboration between two of the most
eminent contributors to the picture book world is a
pure delight from start to finish. The combination of
Julia Donaldson’s alliteratively amusing and
charismatic tale of the unique ‘Go-Away bird’ with
Catherine Rayner’s beautiful, colourful and
wonderfully characterful illustrations is an absolute
treat. We first meet the ‘Go-Away bird’ sitting
primly in her nest and sternly surveying her
surroundings. When her isolation is interrupted by
the bright green and yellow ‘Chit-Chat bird’, then
the flame-coloured ‘Peck-Peck bird’ and the tiny
blue ‘Flip-Flap bird’ her response each time to their
offer of friendship and fun is simply to squawk ‘Go
away! Go away! Go away!’. It is only when the
Go-Away bird takes on more than she can handle
in the form of the ‘Get-You bird’ with his big
threatening beak and his angry eyes that she
realises that some support from the other birds
would come in useful. Luckily, the helpful, cheerful
yellow ‘Come-back bird’ implores the other birds to
return and together in a ‘noisy mob of fluff and
feather’ they chase off the big bully. The Go-Away
bird is humbled by their efforts, realises she does
‘want some friends to stay’, smiles brightly and tells
them ‘you can stay, you can stay, you can stay!’.
Not only is this book visually delightful and a
captivating tale, it also contains an important
message for modern times: isolation is not as
attractive as it may seem, we’re better off together,
that’s where the colour, fun and laughter is.
Eleanor Rutherford
Under 8
Dumbleton, Mike and Cowcher,
Robin
Digger
Allen & Unwin, 2018, pp32, £12.99
978 1 76063 486 5
When James sets sail
from Australia to serve
in the trenches in
France in WWI, his
younger sister Annie
sews the name Digger
to her toy rag
kangaroo and gives it
to James as a farewell present. Digger is also a
colloquial name for an Australian soldier, so it is a
Digger for a digger. James tries to keep Digger
safe. After an accident, James is billeted on a farm
with a young French girl, Colette, who helps to
mend Digger. Sadly, Digger is returned to Colette
with a last request from James – to return Digger
to his sister Annie.
The watercolour illustrations sensitively recreate
the period. The letters reproduced in the story
provide a satisfying link between the characters.
Rather than focusing on James’s death, the story
for young readers focuses on the comfort that
caring people can provide.
This warm tribute commemorates the deep and
enduring connection between Australia and
Villers-Bretonneux, France, when Australian
soldiers successfully regained the town on
Anzac Day, 1918. Although this book will have
an immediate appeal to young Australian
readers, it has universal appeal and will help
children to understand WW1. It will enable
them to explore loss and kindness in a heartwarming
way.
Carolyn Boyd
Eland, Eva
When Sadness Comes to Call
Andersen, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78344 718 3
Sometimes Sadness arrives unexpectedly. This
starts a story, addressed directly to the reader,
which provides examples of how the reader might
deal with this difficult emotion. Readers learn the
importance of recognising sadness, listening to it
and spending time together. With this help, one
may be able to move on to new feelings on a
new day.
All this is gently told with minimal words. The
brown coloured text complements the mainly
brown, simple line drawings against a white
background. The relationship between the main
character and the green-ish sad figure is warm
and the two come to terms with the sad feeling.
This would be a very supportive addition to any
library for young children. Gentle and very
moving.
Carolyn Boyd
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 91

Under 8
Ellis, Elina
The Truth About Old People
Two Hoots, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 50988 226 7
My daughter’s primary
school have started a
wonderful project where
ten reception age children
make regular visits to ten
elderly pensioners in a local
care home, with the aim
that each group will get to
know each other better, benefit from each other’s
company and their different perspectives as the
‘book-end’ generations. In much the same way,
The Truth About Old People by Elina Ellis (2017
winner of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration)
seeks to demonstrate the wonderful relationship
and the similarities that can exist between these
two generations.
The book dispels the myth that ‘old people are
NOT MUCH FUN’ through joyous illustrations of
grandparents roller-skating, doing yoga, dancing
and jamming with a jazz ensemble, all with their
enthralled, happy grandson in tow. Ellis’s
illustrations exude movement and energy and the
expressive faces really bring the characters to life.
The book concludes with the grandson revealing
to his trusted companion (his dog) that he knows
‘the truth about old people,’ which is simply that
they are ‘AMAZING’.
Eleanor Rutherford
Flory, Isa; Flory, Neil and
Chaudhary, Somak
When I’m Older
Allen & Unwin, 2018, pp32, £11.99
978 1 760634896
Not a board book, but in a
similar square format with a
hard cover, and very much
aimed at the younger child.
The simple rhyming text
takes us through all the
different things to aspire to when grown up –
mostly, you would think initially, rather silly: ‘I can
be a goat, I can be a coat’. There is one simple
statement on each page, accompanied by an
illustration in blue of what looks a bit like a
stuffed toy, but which turns out at the end to be a
blob of blue clay in its many transformations.
Most children will have guessed this long before
you get there. It’s less about growing up than
about the power of the imagination, and how you
can make anything of yourself – or, for now, just
be happy being what you are. Funny yet also
heart-warming, I can see this becoming one of
those books that gets read aloud over and over
again, with children enjoying the humour and the
way the clay cleverly transforms himself into so
many different unlikely objects.
Marianne Bradnock
Gray, Kes and Reed, Nathan
Think Big
Hodder, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 444 94212 5
A bright, bold, colourful hardback picture book
with positive messages and dollops of humour
which will engage both adults and children. This
last point is so important; I can still hear myself
groan when my daughter had chosen that same
bedtime storybook which I had read too many
times… and she is 31 now! It is so important to
involve the entire audience and this book, as a
shared experience, does just that. Nursery rhyme
characters sit alongside Humpty Dumpty on his
high brick wall and encourage him to ‘think big’.
That is, to think of a career beyond his initial
aspiration of becoming a boiled egg. ‘“A boiled
egg!” gasped the three blind mice.’ The
characters suggest all sorts of alternatives: a
hairdresser suggests Baa Baa Black Sheep, a
detective says Little Bo Peep and Jack and Jill, full
of disdain, tell him he should think outside the
box! Just as he is deciding that an astronaut
might be the ticket, a friendly pat on the back
sends him tumbling to the ground, shattering his
dreams… he decides that maybe an omelette
might be his best option after all! I loved this
book and can see it working for three to six-yearolds
(and their parents) on very many levels.
Janet Sims
Helmer, Grace
Kahlo’s Koalas: The Great Artists
Counting Book
LOM ART, 2018, pp32, £7.99
978 1 910552 88 9
Kahlo’s Koalas is a novel kind of counting book.
Each of the numbers one to ten is illustrated with
an animal which alliterates with the name of the
artist whose work is parodied. Number one is a
Picasso Panda, Number two is illustrated by two
Koalas in the style of Frida Kahlo, Number three
has three Llamas in the style of Roy Lichtenstein.
Number four has four Monkeys as Matisse might
have drawn them, and so on up to ten Mice,
sitting winsomely on Monet waterlily leaves. There
is a final double page on which all the animals
appear. My own favourites are the six Kandinsky
Kangaroos, a delightful exercise in minimalist
draughtsmanship. Very warmly recommended
both for children learning to count and for their
parents, whether they are familiar with the artists
who inspired the drawings or not.
Martin Axford
Hodgkinson, Leigh
Pencil Dog
Simon & Schuster, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 4711 6940 3
Every once in a while, I like to read a book purely
based on its cover, without reading the blurb...
Boy, this one took me by surprise! Don’t be
misled by the colourful cover of this paperback
aimed at very young readers (2 years and up) –
Pencil Dog is a subtle, poignant story about
memory, remembrance, and how those we love
live on in us. It took me only a few pages to get
attached to Pencil Dog, and I loved the fact that
the story was told in the first person so I could
immediately identify with the unnamed little girl.
Be ready to embark on an emotional journey!
Leigh Hodgkinson has written and illustrated
numerous picture books, including Colin and the
Snoozebox, Limelight Larry and Scrummy! This
new title is a beautiful piece of work for it is a
subject too rarely brought up. I don’t want to say
more, you will have to read the book!
Océane Toffoli
Hofmeyr, Dianne and Hodgson,
Jesse
Tiger Walk
Otter-Barry Books, 2018, pp32, £11.99
978 1 91095 941 1
Henri Rousseau was a 19th century French painter
who became known for painting ‘dream’ visions
of jungle scenes, although he never visited a
jungle or had a painting lesson! His paintings
appeal to people of all ages and the painting
which inspired this book is called Surprised! (Tiger
in a Tropical Storm) and can be seen in London’s
National Gallery
One day Tom draws a tiger, inspired by his visit to
the art gallery... That night, when Tom can’t sleep,
the tiger pads out of his drawing and purrs, ‘Let’s
go for a walk!’ It’s the beginning of a magical
and life-changing adventure, as the tiger helps
Tom to overcome some of his biggest fears.
The illustrations by Jesse Hodgson are
outstanding. She has captured the ferocity and
powerful nature of this beautiful animal and yet
has made the tiger friendly and non-threatening.
The text by Dianne Hofmeyr works so well to
explain in a non-threatening way how we can all
face up to our fears when we have someone we
can trust. The relationship between Tom and his
tiger is one of trust and support; children can
learn to love art while also helping them to
address their fears as the tiger becomes a
reassuring friend to Tom on a magical night-time
adventure. Great for reading aloud and one of our
family’s favourites.
Carolyn Copland
Hood, Morag
Aalfred and Aalbert
Two Hoots, 2019, pp40, £11.99
978 1 50984 294 0
This is the charming love story of how aardvarks,
Aalfred and Aalbert, were brought together by a
wannabe cupid in the form of a little bluebird.
Aalfred loves broccoli and sleeping all day,
whereas Aalbert loves cheese and sleeping all
92 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Discover your next read from
ANDERSEN PRESS
JULY 2019 / 9781783448692 9781783447169
9781783447183
9781783446841
9781783446100
JULY 2019 / 9781783447763
9781783448296
9781783447909
9781783447695
9781783447701
Art from Clem and Crab by Fiona Lumbers
9781783448050
9781783447213
9781783448029

Under 8
night. They live a stone’s throw from one another,
but due to their different circadian rhythms, they
seem destined not to meet. The little bluebird
observes how Aalfred and Aalbert could really
benefit from a companion, for seesawing or
tennis, for example. Bluebird is quietly determined
to bring them together, but becomes increasingly
frustrated when his inventive schemes fail to get
the lonely aardvarks’ attention. In the end it is
bluebird’s sadness that leads to the aardvarks’
paths crossing and, Aalfred and Aalbert, along
with their friend bluebird, live happily ever after,
bringing together their shared loves in the form of
broccoli dipped in cheese! It’s a wonderful tale
demonstrating the joy of friendship and love, told
through the charming bright and bold illustrations
and text that is suitable for early readers.
Eleanor Rutherford
Javaherbin, Mina and Yankey,
Lindsey
My Grandma and Me
Walker, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 4063 8494 9
The author is probably best known here for her
authorship of the South African township-set
Football. This new story shifts to Iran as a young
woman recalls fond memories of a childhood
spent with her Grandma and reflects upon what
has stayed with her and shaped her own view of
the world. The illustrations so perfectly capture the
colours and patterns of household fabrics and
there is such an eye for detail I thought at first
the illustrator might be an Iranian. The illustrations
also perfectly complement the simple but
beautifully worded text which describes how as a
child she found safety and security spending time
with her grandma and her Christian friend and
her granddaughter. It is taken for granted that
values of acceptance and tolerance unite the two
older women through their respective faiths and
the time they spend together enjoying each others
company. The author gently and effectively shares
information about growing up in a Muslim family
and the key tenets of the religion and how it
informs people’s daily lives be it through prayer or
providing a gift of food to someone less
fortunate. A lovely story about life, love and the
power of memory. Highly recommended.
John Newman
Jones, Pip and Hughes, Laura
Mummy’s Suitcase
Faber, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 0 571 32753 9
Mummy’s Suitcase is a joy from start to finish. It is
giggleworthy. Big sister Ruby Roo decides to pack
her Mummy’s suitcase. The word ‘Mummy’ is
repeated heavily throughout this story echoing a
typical toddler’s daily language. Mummy is going
away for a few days. Along with her baby brother,
Barney and the family cat, who seems to sneak
into every picture somewhere, she begins to fill
the case with everything that Mummy likes: a
framed picture of Daddy goes in, her painting
easel, logs (because she loves a cosy fire), lots of
green vegetables because Mummy says ‘cabbage
is the best food ever’… oh, and the lawnmower
because she loves that too. On and on, fuller and
fuller until the job is done.
You can hear the laughter and see the
questioning faces as this story is read aloud. Ruby
Roo’s cheeky character beams out from the
illustrations through her wide-eyed innocence.
Primarily a picture driven book, the text is varied
in size and position adding interest and noise! A
welcome addition to The
Ruby Roo Collection, there’s
a surprise at the end because
Ruby Roo realises that the
‘thing’ Mummy loves most of
all has to go too!
Janet Sims
Laird, Elizabeth and Lucander, Jenny
Grobblechops (Tales by Rumi)
Tiny Owl, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 910328 41 5
Bedtime fears are a perennial
topic in children literature, so
much so that the thirteenthcentury
poet, philosopher and
Sufi mystic, Rumi, wrote one
of his tales on this topic. This
book is part of a series by Tiny Owl, which
reinterprets Rumi’s story for young children. In this
story, Amir refuses to go to sleep – there might be
a ferocious monster waiting for him in the dark.
Dad tries to reassure him – he’ll come and rescue
him with a frying pan, but what if the monster
also has a dad, with a bigger frying pan? Clearly,
a new tactic is needed: talking! And while the
parents are engaged in discussion, can Amir and
the little monster become friends?
The text by Elizabeth Laird perfectly captures
parent-child interactions and depicts a common
scenario when each of the parent’s arguments
leads to an escalation of the child’s fear. It is
current, yet retains the feel of a classic tale. Jenny
Lucander’s illustrations were originally mixedmedia
collages which were then finished digitally.
They are quirky, modern and vividly coloured, with
many details to discover in each picture – can you
spot the Moomin house, or notice how Teddy’s
expression changes? The monster, as a
multicolour being with big teeth and feathers, is
scary enough to be instantly recognisable as a
monster but endearing enough that children will
not be afraid and might actually imagine being
friends with him. This is a charming and
humorous story which may provide reassurance to
children who are afraid of monsters under the
bed.
Agnès Guyon
Lambert, Jonny
The Big Angry Roar
Little Tiger, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78881 098 2
Little lion cub is feeling cross. How can he let his
feelings out? Well, there is no shortage of advice
from the other animals. The gnu and the zebra
tramp, stamp and stomp. the rhino and the hippo
prefer to bash, crash, splatter and splash. None of
these methods are any good for the cub who
ends up with sore paws and soggy fur. When the
elephant’s toots mix with the little cub’s roars
they provoke a stampede and it takes the baboon
to teach him the right way to diffuse his anger.
Young children will be able to identify with the
grumpy little cub as he seeks to manage the
feelings of anger bubbling away inside him. We
all benefit from developing our strategies for
coping with difficult emotions and this story will
be a useful addition to the school library or
classroom as it tackles the subject in a very simple
and engaging way, with text and illustrations
complementing each other perfectly. I am sure
that young listeners will also enjoy creating their
own actions to accompany the story. Highly
recommended for Early Years and Key Stage 1.
Emily Marcuccilli
Lindström, Eva
Everyone Walks Away
Gecko Press, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 776571 86 4
Anyone familiar with the books published by
Gecko Press will know to expect the unusual and
perhaps slightly unsettling. This is so with Eva
Lindström’s latest book, in which Frank is left
alone whilst Tilly, Paul and Milan are having fun.
It’s the same as always. At home, Frank cries tears
into a pan, then adds sugar and cooks, stirring
the mixture for hours. When it is ready, he makes
tea and toast to have with the jam and invites the
others to share it…
With poetic text this is an exploration of
loneliness, the nature of friendship and belonging.
The illustrations are surreal and distinctive, with a
muted, melancholic palette and unusual
perspectives, giving a dreamlike quality to the
book. Though the age given is 3+, I think this is
best suited to sharing and talking about with
older children.
Jayne Gould
MacCarthy, Patricia
Dance, Dolphin, Dance
Otter-Barry Books, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 91095 924 4
This sequel to Run, Elephant, Run (Otter-Barry
Books, 2017) is equally sumptuous. The richly
colourful graphic feast of the bottom of the sea
starts on the front cover, spreading across the end
papers (different illustrations on each) and across
94 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

English literature in translation for your library
Modern and classic English literature and picture books
in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and Russian.
www.eurobooks.co.uk email: direct@esb.co.uk Tel: 01242 245252
CONTACT AN AUTHOR
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Under 8
all the pages. Incorporated with this study of sea
life is a thrilling story about a bottlenose dolphin
escaping its predators and returning to its friends
in the kelp forest of the Pacific Ocean in the
Western Gulf of California. Sea creatures of
various sizes are portrayed in recognisable
fashion, including leatherback sea turtles, manta
rays, the east pacific red octopus, whale sharks
and cannonball jellyfish. Once the story is
finished, children can then search for all the sea
creatures identified. The text is very dramatic, with
different-sized letters mimicking the movement of
waves from gentle swaying to rougher seas. The
movements of the sea creatures make a sort of
dance. I enjoyed the detail of the illustrations and
the way it complemented the atmospheric text.
Highly recommended for primary schools, both to
read aloud and for children to study.
Lucy Chambers
Macho, Adrián
The Whale, the Sea and the Stars
Floris Books, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 78250 559 4
Very small children often have a fascination with
very large creatures, whether dinosaurs, elephants
or whales! This beautifully illustrated book taps
into this fascination to give the reader a heartwarming
story about independence, belonging
and finding our true home
When Gerda the blue whale was very small, her
mother would sing a beautiful song telling her
that if she were ever lost she should look to the
stars and they would guide her. When it’s time for
the little whale to leave home, her adventures
take her from the warm waters of the equator to
the freezing poles. Along the way she meets
clever killer whales, playful penguins, a friendly
polar bear and the ancient narwhale. Then one
day, the little whale realises she wants to find
somewhere to stay forever. How will she know
when she’s found the right sea for her? With her
mother’s song in her heart, Gerda follows the
stars to a place she knows she can call home.
The illustrations are teeming with life and are a
celebration of our oceans’ amazing ecology. This
book makes a wonderful companion to Julia
Donaldson’s The Snail and the Whale and I would
read the two books as a starting point for
discussion about home, friendship, exploration,
the diversity of our planet and the interconnectedness
of its wildlife. A wonderful book.
Carolyn Copland
Murray, Lily and Merritt, Richard
The Dinosaur Department Store
Buster Books, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 78055 596 6
‘Eliza Jane was an unusual child, some called her
wilful, some called her wild’. Sometimes her
parents don’t quite know what to do with her.
When one day she insists they buy her a dinosaur,
although they are a little apprehensive, they take
her to the Dinosaur Department Store. The store
manager shows her a wide range of dinosaurs –
but which one will she choose and is it a good
idea?
An exuberant picture book written in rhyme. The
Illustrations are bold, busy, full of colour and just
burst off each page. The story has a great twist
which I don’t think children will see coming but is
very in keeping with the feisty female character
that Eliza Jane is. The final page features fun
selfies of each of the dinosaurs mentioned in the
story and a pronunciation guide to help children
learn their names. Dinosaur and non-dinosaur
fans alike will just love this.
Annie Everall
O’Byrne, Nicola
The Rabbit, The Dark and the Biscuit
Tin
Nosy Crow, 2018, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78800 271 4
The classic situation of a young
child not wanting to go to bed
is given a new twist in this
brilliantly entertaining and
interactive story of Rabbit, who
decides to trap The Dark in a
biscuit tin so he can stay up all
night. But Rabbit soon learns that The Dark is very
important. All the night-time animals need
darkness, Rabbit’s carrots need darkness to grow,
Rabbit can’t enjoy his delicious breakfast without
going to bed first and, most importantly, there
would be no bedtime story, not even one about a
stubborn rabbit who won’t go to bed…
This beautifully illustrated picture book works
cleverly on different levels. It is very amusing and
engaging depicting Rabbit with great humour
throughout and children will enjoy reading about
his cunning plan. The surprise fold-out spread
which releases The Dark from the biscuit tin is
dramatic and captivating and the illustrations of
the night sky are imaginative and eye-catching.
The book also works as a comforting story,
allaying fears of darkness as The Dark is portrayed
as a patient, gentle character who teaches Rabbit
to think of others. There are opportunities for
children to talk about fears, light and dark,
nocturnal creatures and the night sky, all whilst
enjoying a funny, skilfully illustrated and
interactive story.
Sue Roe
Parkinson, Betsy and Clester, Shane
The Picky Eater (Little Boost)
Raintree, 2018, pp32, £6.99
978 1 4747 6245 8
Piper, the picky piglet, will only eat food
beginning with the letter ‘p’, much to her
mother’s eventual annoyance. At the end of her
tether and unwilling to humour her piglet any
further, mother lays down the law about
mealtimes and (surprise) Piper eventually falls into
line and eats whatever is served.
The issue of children and the range of food they
will or will not eat is a problem well known to a
good number of parents. This picture book of
clear, concise text and colourful illustrations will
allow parents and their own picky eaters to
discuss the subject but at one remove, which
perhaps will make it less confrontational. Asking a
child why they think Piper will only eat food
beginning with the letter ‘p’ is probably easier
than asking the child directly why they won’t eat
green food or wet food or whatever their
particular red line is. The final page, where Piper
acknowledges that, actually, she could eat food
beginning with any letter of the alphabet, also
has her digging in her heels about only wearing
pink and purple clothing.
This book is almost a textbook on negotiating
with small children (pick only important battles
and leave them with a sense of control about an
element of their lives that is important to them).
June Hughes
Percival, Tom
The Sea Saw
Simon & Schuster, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 4711 7243 4
Sofia’s bear is old and
tatty, but greatly loved. It
once belonged to her
grandmother and then
her mother, and it goes
everywhere with her. But
an outing to the seaside ends in disaster when,
escaping a sudden storm, Sofia and her father fail
to see the bear fall out of a bag and land on the
sand. The Sea, however, does see, and knowing
how much the bear will be missed sets about
returning it to its owner. By the time Sofia gets
back to the beach to look for him, her bear has
gone, tossed on the waves out to sea. All she has
to remind her of him is his blue scarf, a remnant
of which she keeps in a locket around her neck.
We follow the bear on his many sea-borne
adventures, searching for the young girl who has
lost him. He returns in the end, of course, and is
scooped up excitedly by a young girl who sees
him floating in the shallows; however this is no
longer Sofia, but her own granddaughter, many
years later.
Even after I pointed out the old lady’s similarities
to Sofia – the same red dress, the locket – the
three-year-olds I read it to didn’t get the ending
at all. But a slightly older child will love the way
it turns full circle, with the bear moving on to yet
another generation, and there is much to
discover in the beautiful art work, based on
elements from real paintings in Amsterdam’s
Rijksmuseum.
Marianne Bradnock
96 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Ramos, Mario
Translated by Linda Burgess
I Am So Clever
Gecko Press, 2019, pp44, £11.99
978 1 776572 48 9
Belgian author-illustrator Mario Ramos follows
the success of I Am So Strong with this clever take
on the tale of Red Riding Hood. A tiny, redcapped
figure merrily proceeds through the forest,
unperturbed by the appearance of a wolf gleefully
anticipating grandmother as a main course and
‘little raspberry’ for dessert. Plans begin to go
awry, however, when wolf struggles to get into
grandmother’s nightdress and manages to lock
himself out of her cottage. A wolf in dress and
mobcap cuts an incongruous figure in the forest,
as characters from various fairy tales pass by with
cheery calls and not a shred of fear. Even Red
Riding Hood bursts out laughing at grandmother
in a wolf mask, until a deflated wolf – toothless
after a fall – allows Red Riding Hood to ease him
out of the offending nightdress. Tables are turned
in this retelling in a satisfying and hilarious
manner, thanks to a witty text and illustrations
contrasting Red Riding Hood’s equanimity with
the wolf’s shifting emotions expressed in face and
gesture. This is a beautifully executed tale that will
entertain and delight adults and young listeners
alike.
Gillian Lathey
Rowe, Thereza
Stay, Benson!
Thames & Hudson, 2019, pp32, £10.95
978 0 500651 53 7
The reader is let into a secret with this story, a
very big secret and as such its young readers will
delight in being the only ones to know what
Benson gets up to all day.
If your family are dog owners, if you know of
children whose families are dog owners, then put
this book in their hands. If you know children who
love to have a secret, a naughty but good secret,
put this book in their hands.
Why?
It will make them laugh-out-loud; it will make
them want to read and maybe share over and
over again; it will encourage them to read, and
share over and over again.
Why? And why am I being so repetitive?
This is a clever, funny and yet very simple story
about Benson the dog and his daily antics but it is
the antics that only you, the reader, know about.
Flick, his owner has no idea (or does she)? And
why the repetition? Because here is another
brilliant aspect of this book, the repetition that
encourages children’s familiarity with the
vocabulary, encourages them to understand the
meanings of words and acts as an important tool
to encourage them to turn the pages and engage
with the story.
So what is it that Benson does all day when Flick
is at work? Well now that would be telling and of
course I cannot do that for it is a secret between
Benson and his reader!
With bold illustration demonstrating the design
background of the author Thereza Rowe, this
book comes to life and truly engages the reader.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Senior, Suzy and Powell, Claire
Octopants
Little Tiger, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 84869 936 6
Octopus has nothing to
wear below, and is quite
concerned at this parlous
state of affairs. So he
finds, by great good
fortune, an underwater
emporium – where he
discovers (in rhymes, which will appeal to all
young readers) just what can be bought for
what sort of sealife. Does he find his pants,
however? Well… sometimes it does help to look
at your problem from a different point of view,
and once he does this, it’s a clear case of
problem solved.
But what does he actually do? You’ll have to read
it to find out – and the Reception children at my
school are going to LOVE this cheerful story made
even more fun by the exuberant illustrations!
Rudolf Loewenstein
Surnaite, Margarita
The Lost Book
Andersen, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78344 684 1
On the front cover of The Lost Book there is a
rabbit reading a book. A combination of books
and rabbits is always going to be a big hit with
me so I was biased in favour before even looking
through it. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.
However, the blurb was misleading; young Henry
certainly is a rabbit who, we are told, doesn’t like
books (and there’s a story there), but that is not
what this picturebook is about. Henry spots an
abandoned book under a hedge, so he sets off to
find its owner. Scrabbling through the hedge, he
discovers an alternative universe (great literary
start); one where people are so concerned with
their mobile phones that children are ignored. An
allegory? Perhaps – but one which leads to young
Henry becoming a brilliant storyteller.
This is an excellent debut picturebook and I
recommend it. I wonder if the creator of The Lost
Book originally intended it to be ‘wordless’ in
terms of printed text. The visual text flows
together so well that no verbal explanation is
necessary. A lovely story to share and discuss with
children in early years, KS1 and beyond.
Prue Goodwin
Under 8
Taylor, Sean and Mantle, Ben
Kiss the Crocodile
Walker, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 40636 934 2
This is a lovely story book by Sean Taylor with
some colourful, fun illustrations by Ben Mantle.
Anteater, Tortoise and Monkey are playing lots of
games together such as Stick Splash, Scary
Monsters and Silly Dancing but are getting bored
and need a new game. They feel a little scared
when they meet Crocodile but Crocodile has a
new game for them to try which is called Kiss the
Crocodile. At first Anteater, Tortoise and Monkey
are frightened of Crocodile’s sharp teeth but
decide that they will have a go at playing the
Crocodile’s new game. They all have so much fun
with Crocodile that they realise he is not scary at
all, and all of them want to be his friend. A bright
and cheerful book with playful, repetitive
language that young children will love, which
explores the themes of friendship and reaching
out to people. Ideal for Foundation and KS1
readers.
Jane Pepler
Teckentrup, Britta
Mole’s Star
Orchard, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 40834 283 1
This picture book story looks at the theme of
sharing and working together. When Mole sees a
shooting star, he makes a wish to own all of the
stars in the world. Some magical ladders appear
and his wish is granted. Mole hastily gathers the
stars and brings them into his burrow. However,
he has not considered the consequences of his
actions on other animals in the forest. The
illustrations brilliantly contrast light with darkness.
While dazzling stars illuminate Mole’s burrow,
darkness permeates through the forest which is
now sheltered by a starless sky. A wonderful story
with a great moral. It would be ideal for
introducing a discussion on caring for the natural
world or a discussion on teamwork/sharing.
Laura Brett
Treleaven, Lou and Neal, Tony
Not Yet a Yeti
Maverick Arts, 2018, pp32, £7.99
978 1 84886 340 8
George’s whole family are yetis, but George
doesn’t look like a yeti, he doesn’t feel like a yeti,
and he certainly doesn’t behave like a yeti. His
snowy-looking father, with icicle shaped teeth,
loves to chase mountain folk till they scream in
terror. His smug, snowy-looking sister leaves giant
footprints which make people gasp with dread.
His snowy-looking mother catches ramblers and
puts them in her soup. But George wears a scarf
and a bobble hat, and certainly doesn’t like to
frighten anyone. Then his mother asks him a big
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 97

Under 8
question: What do you want to be? And suddenly,
George knows who he really is – a unicorn. There
is some head scratching in the family, before Dad
comes up with a way they can all work together.
The yetis will go on chasing mountaineers, but
George will ski along a rainbow track, fly through
the air and rescue them! This is a cheerful tale of
finding one’s identity, and creating a place for
everyone within a group. The lively illustrations
take us into the scary world of yetis, the kind of
fear children savour. Then, as in all good picture
books, they bring us out of the fear and into a
world of crazy play.
Sophie Smiley
Whitty, Hannah and Bowles, Paula
Superkitty
Simon & Schuster, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 4711 7509 1
Spend a day in Kitty’s life with this fun, energetic
picture book! A telephone call about a stolen
dinosaur bone turns Kitty’s boring routine into a
very special time indeed. . . While the Sensational
Superheroes are distracted one after the other,
Kitty may well prove that small can be colossal!
Hannah Whitty’s great storyline is beautifully
completed by Paula Bowles’ exciting, bright and
colourful illustrations. A treat for very young
readers! Perfect for fans of Shifty McGifty and Ten
Little Superheroes.
Océane Toffolli
Wild, Margaret and Ord, Mandy
Chalk Boy
Allen & Unwin, 2018, pp32, £11.99
978 1 76063 472 8
Chalk Boy is being drawn by
Barnaby, a pavement artist.
Unusually, the story is narrated
in the first person by a chalk
drawing. Best of all for the
Chalk Boy, he has all the
positive human attributes of
thinking, seeing, hearing, running and, most
importantly, feeling.
Barnaby draws in a dark, edgy, urban setting.
Passers-by fill the edges of the page, engaged in
urban pursuits of listening to music on
headphones, using their phones and drinking
coffee. Some of the characters are reverse
silhouettes (white figures on a dark background),
adding to the sense of busyness and anonymity of
urban life. Chalk Boy, a bright blue line drawing,
contrasts to his jagged busy environment. Gently,
Barnaby explains to Chalk Boy that he will wash
away when the rain comes. Chalk Boy
understands this but in the meantime, he warmly
enjoys his life to the full as he is redrawn
swimming, somersaulting and playing the guitar.
Touchingly, when the rain comes, Barnaby
protects him with a cloth and assures him that he
is not alone. The minimal words are profoundly
moving as they explore universal themes of love,
caring and existence. A lot of the emotion is
conveyed through Ord’s dynamic drawings and
the sensitive lines that make Chalk Boy.
Wonderfully quirky and infused with a love of life.
Carolyn Boyd
Willis, Jeanne and Laberis,
Stephanie
Frockodile
Hodder, 2019, pp32, £6.99
978 1 444 90824 4
Cliff is a crocodile with a burly biker dad. One day,
playing by the swamp, he finds a pile of clothes.
Not any old clothes – these are sparkly and fancy
and lots of fun. Before long Cliff is dancing
around in frilly knickers, a sequined dress, skyhigh
heels and a lovely pearl necklace.
Along come a couple of hyenas to shatter the
peace, mocking Cliff and threatening to tell his
dad if he doesn’t ‘stop dressing girly’. Cliff knows
his dad loves him, but will this make him
ashamed of his son? Panicking, Cliff insists that
he’s rehearsing for a play but the hyenas call his
bluff and insist upon selling tickets to the
performance – including one to Cliff’s dad! Freddy
Frog finds his friend Cliff in tears. Cliff explains
that he just feels happier in heels and a dress, but
that he isn’t ready to tell his dad. Freddy
understands and suggests that they actually put
on a show! All of his friends help with the
planning and the performance, and after a slight
wobble in confidence Cliff performs perfectly. His
dad is in the audience – what will he say? I’ll
leave you to find out for yourself, but suffice to
say this charming book ends with much love and
happiness all round. Jeanne Willis is an
exceptional writer, with a deft touch that
manages to address difficult subjects in a lighthearted
but reassuring way. Frockodile is no
exception. ‘We are the way we are. You’re YOU no
matter what you wear.’ Stephanie Laberis brings
the tale to life with exuberant colour and lively
characters, making this a fabulous book to share
with young readers.
Helen Thompson
Willis, Jeanne and Ross, Tony
#Goldilocks
Andersen, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78344 717 6
Goldilocks is desperate to get more ‘likes’ so, in
order to keep her followers entertained, and thus
gets more hits, her actions become more and
more daring. Finally, she crosses the line and
breaks into the three bears’ house and documents
her actions online – #bigmistake! Of course,
Daddy Bear sees the videos and Goldilocks ends
doing community service, but what is worse is
that the videos remain well after the sentence is
spent so Goldilocks’ reputation will be forever
tarred. The moral of the story is clear ‘Think twice
before you send’.
This modern-day cautionary tale is the third book
in Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’ series on Internet
safety for children, following Chicken Clicking and
Troll Stinks. The story is told with easy rhymes and
a lot of humour and is perfectly matched by Tony
Ross’ signature illustrations. It was released to
mark the launch of the Digital Parenting website
for parents, carers and teachers, and funded by
the Vodafone Foundation. Highlighting both the
pressure of getting more hits and the concept of a
digital footprint, it will provide a very useful
starting point for any discussion on social media
and the consequences of children’s actions online.
Agnès Guyon
Wood, John and Jones, Danielle
Anita the Alligator Feels Angry
(Healthy Minds)
Booklife Publishing, 2019, pp24, £12.99
978 1 78637 369 4
Anita the alligator feels angry because things are
going to change, she is going to have a new baby
brother. It begins with a lovely explanation of what
happens when you feel angry and the things that
you shouldn’t do when you are angry. It is a great
starting point for discussion with children about
how changes might make them feel angry.
Children will be able to identify with the feelings
of anger they may have when something changes
in their life like a new baby. This will provide those
working with children the opportunity to discuss
what they should do if they start to feel angry
such as controlled breathing and going to a safe
place. It also demonstrates how to make amends
after doing something in anger. This is a lovely
series of books that will provide a starting point
for discussions about feelings.
Kate Keaveny
Zandere, Inese and Petersons, Reinis
Translated by Catherine Anne
Cullen
All Better!
Little Island, 2019, pp32, £7.99
978 1 910 41185 8
The older you get, the more you understand
about being ill. But for young children there is still
plenty of puzzlement about the whys and
wherefores of illness. Enter All Better! Told in the
form of rhyming poems accompanied by
cheerfully zany illustrations, different aspects of
being unwell are explained simply and
sympathetically – and if licence is taken with
certain things, it certainly helps young children to
empathise and identify with different aspects of
illness. The book will find a ready place at home,
where it can be shared and discussed with
children – in the classroom, too, it can be chatted
over to help a greater understanding of illness.
Rudolf Loewenstein
98 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

8 to 12 Fiction
Almond, David
War is Over
Illustrated by David Litchfield
Hodder, 2018, pp128, £10.99
978 1 444 94657 4
This short and very simple story
is set in 1918, not long before
the end of the First World War.
David Almond has often
depicted a sensitive child in
some way at odds with his or
her own world. Here the outsider is John, a
primary school boy whose father is in the trenches
and whose mother works in the local munitions
factory. This is a fiercely patriotic and bellicose
society where the only good German is a dead
German. John, an imaginative child, is taken with
his class on a visit to the factory, and is horrified
by visions of the carnage caused by bombs and
shells. The town has a conscientious objector,
much vilified, and from him John obtains a picture
of a German boy, Jan from Dusseldorf, who is
clearly much like himself. John’s innocent protests
against the war lead him to write a letter to Jan
which, when duly intercepted, brings trouble for
him from patriotic officialdom. He goes on quietly
dreaming of peace, until peace eventually comes,
but John still dreams of one day making his own
peaceful visit to Jan and Germany.
Strikingly illustrated by David Litchfield, the book’s
effect depends as much on pictures as on words.
It is a sympathetic portrait of one child who lives
in a world of violence and propaganda and dares
to question it. A deeply felt morality tale for
children of eight or so.
Peter Hollindale
Applebaum, Kirsty
The Middler
Nosy Crow, 2019, pp272, £6.99
978 1 78800 345 2
Every now and again a book takes you by
surprise. The Middler is one such book. With just a
simple blurb outlining that our narrator, Maggie,
was the middle child in a family including her
older brother Jed and younger brother Trig,
readers may be led to believe they are to read a
family drama about the challenges of being a
middle child. And they are. But my, oh my, The
Middler is so much more!
Set in a post-apocalyptic near-future, Maggie and
her family live in the small settlement of Fennis
Wick. Early in the text, we learn that to cross the
town boundary is to put yourself and the whole
of Fennis Wick at risk: it must never be done. Add
to this the warning that Wanderers – dirty,
deceitful, dangerous wanderers – are beyond the
safety of the boundary and as a reader you just
know that Maggie is not only going to cross the
boundary, but that she’s going to meet a
Wanderer.
But what of being a Middler? Maggie feels
affronted that as an Eldest, her brother Jed
receives preferential treatment. She wonders how
it can be fair that Eldests get all the prizes at
school regardless of the quality of their work, that
they don’t have to do the chores at home, and
that they’re revered by everyone in the
community. Of course she knows – it’s to
compensate for their duty to leave Fennis Wick
upon turning 14 to fight the Quiet War. Maggie
knows this, but it just seems deeply unfair to her.
The Middler is a captivating novel from a new
author. It takes the post-apocalyptic and
dystopian features so beloved by Young Adult
readers and makes them accessible and suitable
for children in KS2.
It’s also refreshing to read a novel which has
obvious potential for a sequel but that resolves
the next stages of the narrative through a short
epilogue. This is not to say I wouldn’t read a
sequel if it were written, but I’m satisfied with the
glimpse of Maggie’s future that’s been given.
The Middler is ideal for Y5 and Y6 readers who
like adventures, post-apocalyptic narratives and
novels featuring strong female protagonists. One
of my favourite reads so far in 2019.
Rachel Clarke
Arshad, Humza and White, Henry
Little Badman and the Invasion of
the Killer Aunties
Illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff
Puffin, 2019, pp352, £6.99
978 0 241 34060 8
Known as Little Badman, eleven-year-old Humza
Khan is the greatest rapper Eggington has ever
known. Or he would be if he could only get his
video online and going viral. The sudden illness of
his music teacher means that he has to delay
finishing the track. However this becomes the
least of his problems when he realises that
something very strange is happening. Teachers all
over town are falling ill or meeting with strange
accidents. Luckily, the local aunties are ready to
step in to help although they have rather
unorthodox ideas about teaching, with every
lesson centred on food. The children are delighted
with so many sweet treats, even if they do seem
to be putting on weight…His suspicions aroused,
Humza sets out to investigate and find a way to
destroy them before they take over the world.
In this funny and fast moving adventure, Humza
Arshad has exaggerated elements of his
childhood experiences, to produce an entertaining
romp with a cast of characters including Little
Badman’s best friend Umer and under-estimated
Uncle Tariq, known as Grandpa. Planned as the
first of a series, this will engage readers who
enjoy similar zany adventures.
Jayne Gould
8 to 12
Blackman, Malorie
Ellie and the Cat
Illustrated by Matt Robertson
Barrington Stoke, 2019, pp80, £6.99
978 1 78112 824 4
As with all Barrington Stoke editions, this funny
novella has short chapters, short sentences and a
dyslexia-friendly page colour and font, with a
reading age of around 8 years. The expressive
artwork also puts the market at middle grade. The
cover has a Horrid-Henry-esque
naughty Ellie defiantly staring
out of the cover at the reader –
it’s great to see a BAME main
character on the cover as well
as in the text.
Ellie’s grandma is kind and
thoughtful, despite Ellie’s pure grumpiness at
having to stay with her. Blackman gently unpacks
the anger, but doesn’t excuse it. Ellie’s grandma is
a saint until the end of chapter two, which is
pretty patient in the face of Ellie’s rudeness. Her
grandma has magical powers, so she can do one
better than sending Ellie to her room – she sends
her into the cat until she can learn some manners
(and find her grandma’s lost wedding ring).
With plenty of references to fairytales and
traditional stories, there are also traditional
storytelling techniques to Blackman’s modern
story – the absent parent, the wise old crone
figure, the magical transformation, the quest, the
bodyswap, the abhorrent teenager who turns their
life around. But it’s clearly modern too. This would
be a great story to read aloud, with plenty of
languages devices like alliteration.
Helen Swinyard
Boyne, John
My Brother’s Name is Jessica
Puffin, 2019, pp256, £12.99
978 0 241 37613 3
Sam is thirteen, the son of an important politician
with aspirations to be prime minister and her
husband and private secretary, who supports her
all the way. Nothing must be allowed to block her
path up the greasy pole. The image they present
to the public is crucial. Government business and
ambition mean that time and patience are in
short supply. But luckily Sam’s brother Jason has
always been there for him. Sam is severely
dyslexic. He lacks confidence and friends, whereas
Jason is the popular football star of their school.
Jason is Sam’s hero, but he has started spending
more and more time by himself. Then one evening
he tells the family that he does not feel himself to
be a boy, but a girl. Sam is confused. Their parents
are horrified. They tell Jason he is deluded and
needs treatment. They demand that no one
breathes a word to anyone about what he has
said…
This is an ambitious, thought-provoking and
sometimes funny novel that explores not just
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 99

8 to 12
transgender issues, but also prejudice and
intolerance more widely, as well as politics and
the importance of family communication. A few
cavils: the device of the naïve young narrator
means there is some lack of nuance; several of
the protagonists are rather one-dimensional; the
happy tying up of all the knots at the end, not
least the parents’ remarkably rapid transition from
bigotry to acceptance, stretches plausibility. But
the book is a valuable plea for empathy and
inclusion, qualities highlighted by the aunt and
several minor characters, including an
unexpectedly broadminded football coach.
How important it is that children and young
people who are questioning their own gender
identity, or have friends or family members who
are doing so, have books which reflect their
situation and offer hope. Vital too that those with
no personal experience have opportunities to gain
insight and understanding.
Anne Harding
Burnell, Cerrie
The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth
Illustrated by Sandra Diekmann
Oxford, 2019, pp240, £6.99
978 0 19 276754 7
This mesmerising story will hold you tightly in its
grasp from the opening chapter right to the very
end. It is a wonderful mixture of fantasy and
reality, of the secrets of the deep and those to be
found on dry land and it stays true to the author’s
aim (stated in the foreword) to create an inclusive
and ethnically diverse tale that stirs up the old
mermaid and pirate stereotypes.
Meet Mercy, feisty flame-haired pirate complete
with diamond-encrusted hook, and her intriguing
daughter Minnow, who has lived all her life
aboard The Seafarer, is more at home among the
waves than on land and who has several small
silver teeth where her own should be. When
Minnow witnesses her mother being taken away
by a group of mysterious men, she is forced to
summon all her courage and undertake a
terrifying voyage alongside her dog Miyuki and
new friend Raife.
I loved the lyrical language which really
transported me to the Wild Deep, in the
company of a whole host of fantastical creatures
from merfins (far more powerful and majestic
than any saccharine mermaid you’ll have met
before) and flying bird-boys to the High Winds
Mistral and Xephyr. The story is punctuated by
several mysterious and beguiling songs and
these add to the sense of otherworldliness. This
fantasy world contrasts beautifully with the
settings of Brighton, Reykjavik and Barbados,
leaving a lasting impression as you close the
final page. Highly recommended for fans of Kiran
Millwood Hargrave, Sarah Driver and Abi
Elphinstone.
Emily Marcucilli
Butterworth, Jess
Swimming Against the Storm
Orion, 2019, pp288, £6.99
978 1 51010 548 5
Twelve-year-old Eliza and her
ten-year-old sister Avery live in
Coteville, a small community in
the bayous of Louisiana. Their
parents are shrimpers and the
family’s life is based around the
watery world of the swamps. The
land is sinking and the water is rising and houses
are built on stilts. The lifestyle of centuries is under
threat. When Avery discovers some large
footprints in the mud they wonder if they have
been made by a ‘loup garou’ and she’s sure that
if they could find a living example of this
legendary creature people would make a big
effort to stop the decline of the area. The girls’
little gang, the Canailles, set off one night to try
to find a ‘loup garou’. Avery goes missing in the
swamp, filled with dangers like alligators and
snakes, and soon the whole town is out looking
for her. The Canailles set off on their own search
and are caught up in a hurricane that sweeps in
from the Gulf of Mexico. This exciting and
engaging story is played out against a landscape
that Jess Butterworth describes in great detail –
the humidity, the mosquitos, the dangers lurking
under the water, the beauty and the danger. The
brilliant nature writing and the evocation of the
culture of this remarkable landscape are bonuses
that enrich the gripping tale.
Nigel Hinton
Carroll, Emma
When We Were Warriors
Faber & Faber, 2019, pp256, £6.99
978 0 571 35040 7
This lovely book consists of three short stories –
two of which revisit characters that we have met
in previous novels, and the third with some new
characters. All of the stories are linked in that they
are about children during World War Two.
The first story, The Night Visitors, is about Stan,
June and Maggie whose house in Bristol is
bombed out. They are evacuated to Frost Hollow
Hall, a stately home in Somerset and uncover
some interesting secrets from the past. The
second story, Olive’s Army, reunites the reader
with the characters from the book Letters from
the Lighthouse and returns to a story at
Budmouth Point involving Cliff, Olive, Sukie and
Ephraim. The third story, Operation Greyhound,
introduces the reader to some new characters –
Velvet and Lynn. The story is set in Plymouth and
concerns what happened to animals during air
raids in World War Two.
The stories are a great way to become
reacquainted with Emma Carroll’s fantastic
historical fiction for children or to discover fresh
new characters and lead new readers on to read
Carroll’s books. They are a great way for KS2
children to be introduced to historical fiction and
to find out about what happened to children of
their age group in World War Two.
Jane Pepler
Eagle, Judith
The Secret Starling
Faber & Faber, 2019, pp272, £6.99
978 0 57134 630 1
The time is 1974, in a period
which is becoming attractive to
writers of adventure stories,
before mobile phones and the
internet abolished much of the
suspense, delay and mystery on
which they rely. Clara Starling,
twelve, lives a solitary life with her wicked uncle
and a series of governesses in a remote mansion
on the moors near Leeds. Her mother is dead, her
father unknown. She lives in dull routine for years.
Then suddenly things happen. The wicked uncle,
plainly broke, disappears, leaving her alone. But
not for long, because she is joined by Peter
Tremble, twelve. Peter is a foundling, with no
known parents, and has been adopted by his
‘Granny’ in London, but dispatched to Clara’s
home by a seemingly kindly London neighbour
when Granny falls ill. Left to fend for themselves,
the two children take charge of their own lives,
make merry in the absence of adults, and set out
to resolve the mystery of Clara’s dead mother and
missing father. Gradually they uncover a dastardly
plot, hatched by the wicked uncle and even more
wicked London neighbour. Solving it brings about
a romantically happy ending, including the joyous
revelation that Clara and Peter are twins.
It will be clear that this is an old-fashioned book
in more than date. It includes just about every
staple of traditional adventure stories that you
can think of, including an unknowing, very
surprised but delighted father for the twins. (He is
a Russian ballet dancer.) The children outwit and
outdo the grown-ups in the best tradition, and
get their due reward. Of course it is all
preposterous, but it is also a rollicking story, with
enjoyable characters and unceasing surprises.
(And the Seventies background is very well done.)
A fast, easy and entertaining read, especially for
readers of eight to ten.
Peter Hollindale
Flecker, Lara
Midnight at Moonstone
Illustrated by Trisha Krauss
Oxford, 2019, pp272, £6.99
978 0 19 276889 6
Kit is very good at making things, but she is not
very good at school unlike her older brother and
sister, Albert and Rosalind. Kit’s father, Sir Henry
Halliwell, is a famous scientist. He is always
travelling, and is about to go away on a trip to
100 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

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8 to 12
South America. He wants Kit to stay with her
brother and sister and do some extra studying.
However, after receiving a rejection from William
Siddis, the school her father is keen for her to
go to, Kit decides to go and visit her estranged
grandfather at Moonstone Costume Museum.
Moonstone was once a fantastic museum full of
beautiful costumes but it has now fallen into
disrepair. Kit’s first meeting with her grandfather
does not go well, but she discovers that the
costumes at Moonstone hold a wonderful
secret, and makes some new and unusual
friends. The museum’s future is under threat
because an avaricious developer wants to turn it
into flats. Can Kit save the museum, and will
she be able to persuade her secret friends to
help in time?
Midnight at Moonstone is an enchanting fantasy
story that will appeal to young girls interested in
costumes, history and magic. A sense of mystery
pervades the narrative and encourages the reader
to keep reading. It is an extremely imaginative
story that both surprises and delights.
Andrea Rayner
Ford, Martyn
Chester Parsons is NOT a Gorilla
Faber& Faber, 2019, pp336, £6.99
978 0 571332 23 6
Everything starts to go crazy when Chester
discovers he can mind jump. Amy, his sister, gets
him to help her make her video blog more
popular. Then they get discovered by a TV
company who wants to film them. Everything
goes well until they go to a zoo and Chester
jumps into the mind of a gorilla called Tito. Whilst
he is there, someone steals Chester’s body and he
is not able to return to it. This is the start of a
desperate quest to try and find out who has
stolen Chester’s body and get it back before he is
absorbed by the gorilla’s consciousness. During
this rollercoaster adventure, Chester/Tito and Amy
meet Detective Pepper, the Silent Cameraman, the
Star Swimmers at Whispered Manor and the evil
Cold Rain. Can Chester defeat his enemy and find
his body when he is not really sure who his
enemy is?
This is a clever and entertaining story that will
keep younger readers engrossed. It is fast-paced
and full of action, as well as having lots of plot
twists. It is not only funny and mind-bending, but
also contains some interesting and intriguing
concepts to do with consciousness and being.
Andrea Rayner
Golding, Julia
The Curious Crime
Lion Fiction, 2018, pp256, £6.99
978 0 7459 7787 4
Julia Golding has written books for both adults
and children and she has what could, probably
rightly, be called a gift for storytelling and the
ability to weave story with fact so that the
unassuming reader might come away with not
just the pleasurable feeling of having read a great
book but also some new knowledge, in this case
about the world of science (and maybe museums
too).
Ree does not think that being curious is a crime.
Neither is being a girl. However, in the maledominated
world of science there both could be
considered crimes and more so because it is a girl
who is the curious one. In spite of this the reader
is invited to join Ree on a fantasy island. Here
they will meet Phil the dodo and a range of other
unusual characters. All are roaming the corridors,
giant halls and network of underground passages
which form a museum and science academy. Ree
cannot be a scientist – she is a girl – but neither
is she allowed to be a stone mason – her other
passion. The result? A young girl who has to clean
the halls of the magnificent museum each night.
Cue adventure!
Murders start to happen. Mysterious ones as the
reader may expect… but there is someone on
Ree’s side. Henri, a new and determined scholar, a
scholar who looks past the fact that Ree is a girl,
a scholar who likes a mystery to solve. Between
them can they join forces, solve the mystery
murders and prove their innocence? Packed with
thought, with wonder, with curiosity and of course
a few murders leading to a crime to solve, this
book twists, turns, surprises the reader and will
have them gripped.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Green, Sophie
Potkin and Stubbs
Illustrated by K. J. Mountford
Piccadilly, 2019, pp384, £6.99
978 1 84812 761 6
‘Never judge a book by its
cover!’ In the case of this first
book in a new series, that is
precisely what the reader
should do. A fabulous cover
reminds this ‘older’ young
reader of Raymond Chandler,
Humphrey Bogart and films
such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The
characters on both the front and back cover give
an indication of the noir mystery thriller waiting
within.
Lil Potkin lives in bleak Peligan City, run by corrupt
government officials. Her mum works in City Hall
and is rarely at home, so aspiring journalist Lil has
all the time she needs to explore the city in her
bright yellow raincoat, investigating unsolved
stories. The brilliant descriptions of both the city of
Peligan and the characters make for a wonderful
read. Unexplained fires, suspicious deaths,
supernatural elements and plot twists aplenty –
what’s not to like?! One rainy evening Lil meets a
sad-looking boy sitting by himself in the bus
station and buys him a hot chocolate. That night
Lil wakes to find him in her bedroom. He doesn’t
want to admit to being a ghost, but when he
finally remembers his name (Nedly ... possibly) he
explains that he needs Lil’s help to find out what
happened to him after he disappeared from his
orphanage a year ago.
So Lil and Nedly – aka Potkin and Stubbs – team
up to solve their mystery, and they call in the
reluctant help of once-famous detective Abe
Mandrel. He agrees to help them with the Stubbs
case if they help him find the criminal who
escaped justice and cost him his career. Except –
Lil realises that she is the only person in the
whole of Peligan City who can see Nedly. Which
can come in handy when trying to solve crime.
Books like this are great page-turners and this
should appeal to a broad range of children, with
its plot, characters and themes. I cannot
recommend it highly enough and look forward to
reading more in the series.
Carolyn Copland
Hearn, Julie
I Am NOT Adorable
Illustrated by Emma Ritson
Jolly Heron, 2018, pp158, £6.99
978 1 790253 09 8
Jimmy, is a guide dog in
training, living with Lottie his
trainer. Jimmy does not really
understand the world and
throughout the story gets into
some difficult situations but
each time learns from them. The
story while told through Jimmy’s eyes tells the
story of Lottie and her year training him, while
having her own struggles with her relationship
and wanting to help Jimmy succeed in becoming
a guide dog.
Told from the perspective of a puppy in training to
be a guide dog, the author conveys the puppy’s
misunderstandings and misconceptions in a
humorous way. The empathy that you begin to
feel for Jimmy (the puppy) and all the mistakes he
makes are a testament to author’s skill in
imagining how a puppy may be feeling. A
fantastic story to begin a discussion about the
role of guide dog and how they train in their first
year.
Kate Keaveny
Hitchcock, Fleur
The Boy Who Flew
Nosy Crow, 2019, pp256, £6.99
978 1 78800 438 1
This is the story of Athan, a boy who lives above
his family’s tailoring shop. The family is an odd
one. There is real love and loyalty between the
siblings: older sister Polly is capable and loving,
keeping both the business and family running.
Vulnerable but insightful younger sister Beatty is
102 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

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unable to walk, and Athan and Polly work hard to
protect her, not least from her grotesque
Grandmother. Mother struggles, especially to
manage Athan, and nearly destroys the family by
foolishly accepting the attentions of the strange
Colonel.
Athan earns extra income for the family by
working for an inventor, Mr Chen, but at the
beginning of the story Mr Chen is murdered.
Athan and his friend Tod rescue Mr Chen’s work
on a flying machine and decide to enter a
competition with it but realise that, as Mr Chen
predicted, inventions can be used for good and
evil, and Athan finds himself dealing not only with
his troubled family but also with some cunning
villains who want the machine.
The plot is exciting and the historic setting,
frequently enhanced by period language in the
dialogue, is colourful. The villains are vivid in their
deceit and violence, and the story is full of drama
(to the extent that Tod dies protecting his friends).
The city, with its warehouses and close-together
buildings, provides an ideal backdrop for Athan’s
adventures.
Much of the focus of the book is up high: it opens
with a birds-eye view of Athan at work for Mr
Chen, and, Athan is most at home on the rooftops
of the town, where much of the action takes
place. Although the title foretells the ending, the
final scene is a fittingly dramatic one, as Athan
finally achieves his dream.
Sally Perry
Holderness, Jackie and Marks, Alan
The Princess Who Hid in a Tree
Bodleian Children’s Books, 2019, pp40, £12.99
978 1 85124 518 5
A beautiful re-telling of the legend of Saint
Frideswide, the Patron Saint of Oxford. This early
feminist Anglo-Saxon princess wanted to do good
deeds and help people, rather than marry. She
began helping her father build a priory on the
banks of the river Thames. However King Algan
had other plans for her, meaning to make her
marry him or attack Oxford and kidnap her if she
didn’t acquiesce. After a period of hiding, she
bravely faced up to him and showed him the error
of his ways. The church that she founded in
Oxford was on the site of what is now
Christchurch College and her medieval shrine can
still be viewed in the cathedral.
An inspiring and enjoyable tale. The narrative
flows well and Frideswide’s story is really brought
to life. The text is supported by imaginative and
empathic illustrations by Alan Marks, illustrator of
a Carnegie Medal and Smarties Prize winner.
A thoughtful, historical background is provided at
the end of the book. Bodleian Publishing really
has a knack for breathing new life into history
and making it readable, accessible and current for
today’s children.
Annie Everall
8 to 12
Howard, Greg
The Whispers
Puffin, 2019, pp256, £6.99
978 0 241 36708 7
Young readers who have
recently been bereaved
might find this story
upsetting. I was welling up
at the end as the writer
shamelessly pulls at the
heart-strings. Riley’s mum
has disappeared. His family
are grieving and he is
determined to find her. His quest to make contact
with the supernatural Whispers and offer them a
tribute in return for his mum, turns out in fact to
be a disastrous camping trip in the woods with
his friends, following glow-worms, until he
stumbles upon his mother’s grave and his loyal
dog, Tucker, dies at the scene. All is revealed; Riley
has been creating an alternative narrative. His
mother died of cancer and traumatised by that
and the funeral, he has been less than honest
with the reader.
This is also a sensitive story of a young boy
becoming aware that he prefers boys to girls.
Riley’s wonderful sense of the ridiculous, the dry
hint in his humour and wry self-awareness is
superb. The pathos of his attempts to cope with
his bed-wetting condition, his grieving father and
his bullish older brother while keeping a
desperately upbeat commentary is moving and
absorbing. Highly recommended (with the
aforesaid caution) for readers of 10 to 13.
Rachel Ayers Nelson
Howard, Martin
The Cosmic Atlas of Alfie Fleet
Illustrated by Chris Mould
Oxford, 2019, pp336, £6.99
978 0 19 276750 9
This book caused me to snort unbecomingly with
laughter on public transport – it definitely
appealed to my sense of humour! Young Alfie
lives with his mum on the breadline but he is
desperate to get her a super birthday gift so he
responds to an ad asking for help. This is how he
meets Professor Bowell-Mouvement (yes really!)
and ends up going on a time travelling adventure
in another world.
The style of writing is reminiscent of Douglas
Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide and there seem to be
nods to this classic in Cosmic Atlas – the mini
gramophone that translates other tongues
reminded me very much of the Babel fish for
example. With quotes like ‘You can try evicting a
Bowell-Mouvement but you can expect a long,
hard struggle’ to provoke laughter, this story
would definitely appeal to lovers of toilet humour,
but the fast moving adventure would attract any
child of 8+ I would think. Great fun!
Bev Humphrey
Ho-Yen, Polly
Two Sides (Colour Fiction)
Illustrated by Binny Talib
Stripes, 2019, pp96, £7.99
978 1 78895 062 6
Two Sides is the story of best friends, Lula (who is
boisterous and noisy) and Lenka (who is usually
calm and quiet). They have been best friends since
birth as their mothers met in a maternity ward.
One day, they have a falling out over – of all
things – a pencil case. I think we’ve all been there
during childhood; particularly girls (as in this
story). Best friends one minute, not the next. The
book is in the Stripes series which is intended for
children at just the stage when they are becoming
independent in so many ways – making friends,
discovering hobbies and, most importantly,
becoming independent young readers. Such
resources are needed in primary schools so I
welcome the intentions of this series. However, I
do have a few misgivings. The publicity
descriptions are misleading and, in the book itself,
the text could be tricky for those readers who are
only just decoding well enough to read alone. For
instance, there are two voices on most pages,
which are only distinguished by font design and
slight colour difference. On the other hand, if
shared with an adult, there is plenty to support
the learning of higher order reading skills: e.g.,
humour, irony and subtext. Teachers and librarians
will know which of their readers are ready for
Two Sides and who might need support accessing
this well-crafted tale with its lively and amusing
illustrations.
Prue Goodwin
Lo, Charlotte
We Won an Island
Nosy Crow, 2019, pp208, £6.99
978 1 78800 041 3
Since the death of her grandmother, Luna’s dad
has stopped going to work, spending his days
asleep or watching television. With no extra hours
available at the supermarket where mum works,
the family are struggling for money and facing
eviction. Although this sounds like the opening to
a rather bleak story, it is anything but. Discovering
a competition to win an island, Luna is convinced
this will be the answer to all their problems. Much
to everyone’s surprise, Mr Harding (aka Mr
Billionaire) the owner of the island, rings to say
that they have indeed won. The family is soon enroute
to the coast of Scotland to take possession
of their island. Some members, particularly
aeroplane obsessed older sister Margot, are more
reluctant than others but Luna’s irrepressible
optimism and enthusiasm, convinces everyone
they can make a success of life there. Madcap
adventures, with a hint of The Durrells, involving
goats, donkeys, a storm and an out of control
secret festival, make an entertaining and heartwarming
read.
Jayne Gould
104 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Mantle, Clive
The Treasure at the Top of the
World (A Freddie Malone Adventure)
Award Publications, 2018, pp272, £6.99
978 1 78270 321 1
If I had to concoct a recipe for this book, the
chief ingredients would go as follows: hidden
treasure, ruthless villains, time travel, mysterious
map, boys searching and being pursued, bullies
back at home, close and fond family, characters
to fascinate one. But this is just for starters – you
need to read yourself how Freddie receives a
mysterious map on his thirteenth birthday, and
how it enables him and his best friend to time
travel to Nepal. And there their adventures just
begin.
It is the sort of book that just cannot be put
down and that inspires one to find out more
about so many things. Great in the classroom,
although I’d recommend more than one copy of
it; it also makes a great present, either for
reading alone, or sharing at bedtime. It is also the
sort of book that will encourage boys to want to
read more, although it will require some reading
stamina. Well worth buying, especially as sequels
are being planned.
Rudolf Loewenstein
McKenzie, Sophie
Becoming Jo
Scholastic, 2019, pp336, £6.99
978 1 4071 8815 7
This is a modern take on the
old classic Little Women. In
this book we follow the four
sisters Meg, Beth, Amy and Jo
as they struggle to fit into a
new environment, new home
and new school, they even
have to make new friends.
The March family, made up of Mum and the girls,
have had to move to a new area, and although
they are not poor, they have little money. Dad is
busy serving as a clergy with the Army abroad, so
they only get to Skype him now and again. The
story starts at Christmas time when we are
introduced to the four girls as they are struggling
to decide what to buy their mum for Christmas,
and we learn a lot about how their family works
and how different their characters are. The family
go to help out at a Christmas lunch for refugee
families, and whilst there Jo (who is our main
protagonist) meets a refugee boy called Lateef,
they start chatting and Jo decided that he is
going to be her best friend ever, and better still
they live across the road from the March family’s
little house. Lateef lives with his adopted family
in a grand house, but this has not made Lateef
into a stuck up person, he is grounded and down
to earth and Jo really likes this about him.
We follow the family through a year and we live
their lives through the story, it is easy to get
sucked into the March family as the characters
are all different but totally believable. I would say
that this is a modern day classic for children of
today.
Elain Burchell
Milway, Alex
Hotel Flamingo
Piccadilly, 2019, pp96, £6.99
978 1 84812775 3
Anna Dupont has inherited
the dilapidated Hotel
Flamingo from her great-aunt
and she determines to restore
it to its former splendour as
‘The Sunniest Hotel in Town’.
But this is a hotel with a
difference, it is situated on
Animal Boulevard and all the guests and staff
are animals. Anna, with her positive attitude,
rises to all challenges brilliantly and, with the
help of her trusty team, T. Bear the doorman,
Lemmy the lemur receptionist and Squeak the
mouse bellboy, Hotel Flamingo is soon ready to
welcome all guests, including a group of
holidaying cockroaches. Anna’s creative
recruitment skills should be a lesson to all
managers as she hires Madame Le Pig the chef,
Stella the giraffe handywoman and a family of
otter lifeguards.
This is a funny and heart-warming story that
celebrates positive attitudes, teamwork, problem
solving, friendship and inclusion. Anna is a very
appealing character and all the animals have
their own quirks and personalities. Alex Milway’s
lively, humorous illustrations with their flamingopink
tones and flamingo motifs will entice young
readers into the book and keep them engaged
throughout. This is the first title in a series about
Hotel Flamingo and it works well as both a read
aloud story and as a fun-filled chapter book for
children to read for themselves; it should leave all
readers with smiles on their faces ready for the
next trip to Hotel Flamingo.
Sue Roe
Mitchell, Kita
Grandma Dangerous and the Egg of
Glory
Illustrated by Nathan Reed
Orchard, 2019, pp288, £6.99
978 1 40835 550 3
Olly is not looking forward to Cousin Thomas
coming to stay. Thomas is very much like Olly’s
mother and her side of the family (safe, riskaverse
and allergic to anything that smacks of
adventure), whereas Olly is more like his father,
an explorer. Olly has two grandmothers, Grandma
Boring and Grandma Dangerous, and, when
Grandma Dangerous turns up unexpectedly and
whisks Olly, Thomas and Olly’s friend Piper off to
Russia by hot air balloon to swop a fake Fabergé
8 to 12
egg for the real one, things get pretty
adventurous.
This is a fun read, full of quirky characters and
improbable (if not impossible) situations. The
chapters where Grandma Dangerous, Olly,
Thomas and Piper are hired as cooks at a Russian
prison in order to spring Elsie, the master forger
and a key element of their plan, are particularly
bizarre and full of humour.
The book is immensely readable with likeable
characters and fast paced action. Chapters are
reasonably short and the text is clear and well
spaced. Confident young readers in search of
laughs and adventure will not be disappointed
with this book and will eagerly await the next in
the series.
June Hughes
Moore, Leah and Reppion, John
Conspiracy of Ravens
Illustrated by Sally Jane Thompson
Dark Horse Books, 2018, pp136, £12.50
978 1 50670 883 6
The blue, white and black colour scheme for this
graphic novel reminded me very much of a
favourite from my youth, The Four Marys and
indeed with its setting of a girls boarding school
you can certainly see echoes in this new text. It’s
the story of five 15-year-old girls who are
unaware of the fact that they have special
powers, brought to life when they wear a piece
of antique jewellery passed down in their
families. Not all of the girls are thrilled at their
new discovery but they gradually learn how
important it is to all work together for the
common good. An enjoyable adventure that
seems to be very much setting the scene for later
books.
Bev Humphrey
Nix, Garth and Williams, Sean
Have Sword Will Travel
Piccadilly, 2018, pp304, £6.99
978 1 84812 652 7
Let Sleeping Dragons Lie
Piccadilly, 2018, pp288, £6.99
978 1 84812 687 9
In Have Sword Will Travel,
Odo and his friend, Eleanor,
find an enchanted sword in
the dried-up riverbed whilst
trying to catch eels. The
sword starts talking and
immediately knights Odo,
much to Eleanor’s annoyance
as she is the one who wants to be a knight and
is always keen for an adventure. The sword is
called Biter and he takes them on a quest to find
out why the river is drying up. Their adventure
takes them along the river and in the process
they encounter false knights, a bannoch and a
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 105

8 to 12
dragon. Will they succeed in their quest? Can they
evade the bannoch and return the water to the
river without getting eaten by a dragon?
In Let Sleeping Dragons Lie, Eleanor and Odo are
now both knights. Eleanor is bored and is looking
for new adventure. This starts unexpectedly when
they help to defeat a fierce pack of bile wolves
who are attacking their village. Then they join the
mysterious Egda and Hundred on a quest to
rescue Prince Kendryk, who has been imprisoned
by his grandmother, Odelyn, and return him to
power. However, they have to get to Winterset
first, avoiding both human and supernatural foes,
and not to mention the fact that they mustn’t
annoy a very powerful dragon.
These are the first two books in a hilarious
children’s adventure series. The writing is
brilliantly funny as well as bringing the medieval
period to life. The stories are exciting and
extremely enjoyable, featuring knights, dragons
and magic.
Andrea Rayner
O’Hart, Sinéad
The Star-Spun Web
Stripes, 2019, pp384, £6.99
978 1 78895 022 0
The year is 1941. The place
is Dublin. But only in our
world. In a parallel world
(and there are many of
these) it is still 1941 but
Dublin is called Hurdleford,
and things are very similar,
but not quite the same.
There are three ‘Dublins’ in this story, and it is
scientifically possible to travel between them, but
the only character who appears in all three is Tess
de Sousa, aged twelve. The de Sousas are a
dynasty of scientists spread across all the worlds,
and Tess as a baby was moved by her father from
one to another, to save her life. So Tess, a gifted
young scientist herself, has grown up in an
orphanage in Hurdleford, and is safe there until
abducted by two scientific criminals who know
her powers. This is the story of Tess’s clever and
spirited battle to overcome them, which she does
with the aid of twelve-year-old Thomas de Sousa,
who is her counterpart in the Dublin we all know,
and of her orphanage friends.
The complex plot and background are handled
with admirable clarity in this beautifully
constructed story. The action gathers pace and
urgency to culminate in one night of spectacular
crisis, which sees one of the criminals defeated.
But the other escapes, so there will clearly be a
sequel, with more inter-world voyaging. This is an
exciting scientific fantasy with a splendid heroine
and a great supporting cast of other children.
Warmly recommended.
Peter Hollindale
Paolini, Christopher
The Fork, The Witch, and the Worm
(Tales from Alagaësia)
Penguin, 2019, pp320, £12.99
978 0 241 39236 2
A short story anthology from
Eragon’s world, this is a book to
delight fans of Paolini’s dragon
tales. It can be read as a
standalone but would be much
more pertinent for those that
have already discovered
Alagaesia in the original series. I most enjoyed the
tale of brave Ilgra and the way she comes to
terms with the fact that there are always things in
our life that cannot be overcome, but that we
must learn to live with. Interesting to read the
excerpt from the life of Angela the herbalist,
written by Angela Paolini, who was the inspiration
for the character originally. Packed full of magical
characters and adventure, this shorter book could
be a good toe in the water to Paolini’s works for
new readers, hopefully it would encourage them
to develop the reading stamina to enjoy Eragon
etc.
Bev Humphrey
Parry, Rosanne
A Wolf Called Wander
Illustrated by Mónica Armiño
Andersen, 2019, pp176, £6.99
978 1 78344 790 9
This immersive tale chronicles a grey wolf’s search
for a new home after his pack is attacked in its
mountain home and his family captured,
dispersed or killed. From the very beginning the
reader is left in no doubt what it must feel like to
be a wolf: the importance of the pack and each
member’s role in it, the excitement of the hunt,
the constant search for food and shelter. Swift, as
his name suggests, is faster than his three
siblings, and it is his speed which enables him to
escape the horror of invasion by another pack.
But the long and lonely journey that follows has
many harrowing moments, and some surprising
friendships; the informative pages at the end of
the story tell us, amongst many other fascinating
facts, that the mutual help of ravens and wolves
is not uncommon. Mónica Armiño’s wonderfully
evocative drawings bring the story to life on every
page, with her faithful renditions of the flora and
fauna Swift encounters, including the wolf’s
greatest enemy, man. Inspired by the real life and
astounding travels of a grey wolf in Oregon, A
Wolf Called Wander is described by the publishers
as ‘White Fang for the 21st century’.
A celebration of courage, perseverance, survival
and family, it will appeal to all adventurers who
care about animals in the wild. And it has a
satisfactorily happy ending.
Marianne Bradnock
Pirotta, Saviour
The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad
(Flashbacks)
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp160, £6.99
978 1 4729 5599 9
Jabir travels to Baghdad looking to earn money to
prevent his family from being evicted from their
home. Wrongly accused of stealing bread and
thrown into prison, his skill at carving wooden
models is noticed and he is released into the care
of the Grand Caliph who needs his skills to help
make a gift for the Emperor Charlemagne. Just as
the work is coming to an end, disaster strikes and
everything is destroyed, but it is imperative that
the Grand Caliph delivers on his promise of the
gift. Jabir, remembering the family that taught him
the skill of carving, makes a perilous journey to
enlist their help in replacing the carvings in time
but he is dogged at every step by someone
determined to thwart him.
This book is part of the Flashbacks series that
recounts major stories from the past in an
entertaining and accessible way for confident
young readers. Set in the Middle East of AD 900
(now an option for study on the National
Curriculum for history) and focussing on
characters from Islamic culture, the story is
exciting, with its account of Jabir and Yasmina
racing across the desert pursued by an evil villain,
and includes an insight into the culture and
history of the time. A glossary of terms, such as
Caliph, Imam and Dua, is provided and a
historical note of only 2 to 3 pages puts the
events of the book into the true context of the
time (a wondrous clock sent to Charlemagne in
AD 807 is described in official records).
Readers will engage with the character of Jabir,
trying to do his best for his family and displaying
courage and determination in the face of
adversity. They will also unwittingly develop an
understanding and appreciation of another
civilisation whilst enjoying this story of adventure.
June Hughes
Powling, Chris
Rainbow Boots (High Low)
Illustrated by Jim Field
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp64, £6.99
978 1 4729 6079 5
This book is part of Bloomsbury’s High Low range
of books aimed at reluctant readers or those with
dyslexia or with English as a second language.
Denzil’s school is in the grip of a fashion craze for
the eponymous footwear. Denied a pair by his
mother, but not wanting to be left out, he invents
the story that he is awaiting a specially
customised pair. The lies proliferate and then the
head teacher, Miss Hooper, announces that the
captain of the English football team, Stevie
Glossop is coming to open the new school hall.
Stevie is well known for his sponsorship of
Rainbow Boots and Miss Hooper suggests that
106 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Denzil should show his off in front of the whole
school. In a panic, Denzil lends his best friend,
Nazeem, his old trainers for the day and specially
customises Nazeem’s boots for himself. Stevie is
impressed by them but then he wants to show off
his footballing skills and asks if he can borrow
Nazeem’s scuffed trainers to do keepy-uppies. He
then signs the trainers for Nazeem and from then
on, everyone abandons rainbow boots for scuffed
trainers. It’s a light-hearted, easy read for its
intended audience, although rather expensive,
given its brevity.
Nigel Hinton
Reynolds, Jason
Ghost (Run)
Illustrated by Selom Sunu
Knights Of, 2019, pp208, £6.99
978 1 9996425 2 5
Castle Cranshaw, or Ghost as he’s nicknamed
himself, is angry. Angry at the world, angry at the
bullies who ridicule him for his poor clothing and
address, but mostly angry at himself. When he
happens across a track running team, the
Defenders, and discovers a skill he never knew he
had; he finds an unexpected outlet for the anger.
Until now the only running he’s ever really done is
from his violent, addict father. As he gets to know
his team mates and discovers a mentor in the
incredible Coach, the anger inside him is gradually
replaced by a sense of belonging, pride and
purpose.
This short novel is an absolute must read for
anybody who enjoys stories of triumph over
adversity, friendship and/or running. The gradual
development of Ghost’s battle with his anger
issues is expertly handled; going from feeling a
constant blackness inside that occasional
explodes in flashes of red, to discovering an
ability to control the red and replace the black
with an altogether new colour that’s much calmer
and happier. The richly diverse cast and sensitive
depictions of children living in poverty and
difficult circumstances, make this an important
book for many children who still rarely see
themselves reflected on library shelves. The
running storyline is so excitingly built up that it
even made me contemplate putting on my
trainers (for a few seconds at least!) I’m already
eagerly awaiting next in the series. Perfect.
Amy McKay
8 to 12
Schaap, Annet
Translated by Laura Watkinson
Lampie and the Children of the Sea
Pushkin Press, 2019, pp336, £12.99
978 1 782692 188
A salty and exhilarating fairy-tale adventure from
the Netherlands is one of the latest translations
from Pushkin’s Children’s Books. Lampie, the
neglected daughter of a drunken lighthousekeeper,
unwittingly causes a shipwreck and is sent
as skivvy to the local admiral’s house to help pay
off the resulting debts. There she recognises the
true waterborne nature of the boy Edward or
‘Fish’, who has become a ‘monster’ locked in the
tower upstairs: he is the result of the admiral’s
liaison with a mermaid. After many reversals of
fortune for both Fish and Lampie, momentum
builds to a nerve-wrenching climax as the admiral
returns from a voyage keen to seek vengeance for
his lost ship, and Lampie rows across a stormy sea
to warn her father.
Schaap’s tale is, however, far more than a
straightforward adventure story. Lampie’s gutsy
self-sacrifice and gradually improving self-esteem
as Fish teaches her to read are mirrored in reverse
by his futile attempts to become a real, walking
boy as demanded by the admiral. Ultimately
Lampie takes charge and coaxes Fish back into
the world and the sea where he belongs.
This novel is highly recommended as an
imaginative tale combining narrative suspense
with brooding undercurrents, enhanced by the
author’s lively and atmospheric line drawings.
Gillian Lathey
Simmons, Anthea
Lightning Mary
Andersen, 2019, pp272, £6.99
978 1 78344 829 6
The voice of Mary Anning is
feisty, prickly and
sometimes off-putting, but
the reader can’t help being
drawn in to her story. She is
brave, persistent and the
underdog both in terms of
her poverty and gender. She
is aware of what she is fighting to do, the
obstacles stacked against her, but determined to
get what she wants even if it means being
unpopular.
We follow her from outings with her father as a
young child to when she was about 17 and watch
her mature; her investigations becoming more
scientific, her musings about God, creation and
evolution gaining complexity. We see the benefits
of those who befriend and help her and those
who take advantage of her work. We sympathise
when she discovers menstruation, grieve with her
over her father’s slow death and cheer her and
her mother on as they stand together to survive
ruin and starvation.
There are several themes to explore with a class:
the Victorian religion/science debate which could
include Tennyson and other writers from that era,
gender inequality, infant mortality, poverty and its
drag on individual achievement. Well written and
thought-provoking, I would recommend this for
readers from age 10 up to adult!
Rachel Ayers Nelson
Simpson, Darren
Scavengers
Usborne, 2019, pp336, £6.99
978 1 4749 5602 4
Inspired by a trip to a local
recycling centre, this
‘junkyard Jungle Book’
story is about a boy and a
man who live as scavengers
on Hinterland, an
abandoned rubbish site.
Landfill must learn to abide
by Babagoo’s many rules that keep them both
safe. Landfill has many friends in Hinterland,
though most of them are wild animals, and life is
fairly happy for them both within their routines.
They even communicate together through a
whole new language that to us, initially, sounds
rather strange. But when Landfill begins to
become curious about the Outside, he unlocks a
whole world full of secrets when he decides to
unearth a hidden pathway. And when an Outsider
makes their way onto the site, Landfill begins to
realise that things aren’t quite as they seem.
Landfill is a brilliant character who many readers
will easily connect to – he is ultimately just a
normal young boy; working out boundaries, who
is curious about the world and about how he fits
into it. Landfill begins to realise that he is outgrowing
Hinterland as well as Babagoo’s
fabricated version of the world. Babagoo, we
discover is, mainly out of love, both Landfill’s
saviour and captor. It is clear that Simpson’s
complex characters are part of what makes him
an impressive storyteller and despite this being his
first book for children, he writes with an
established hand; painting a world that is both
wild and unfamiliar, but beautiful. I cannot
recommend this amazing book highly enough, as
Simpson is certainly one of the most exciting new
authors I’ve come across for some time.
Claire Warren
Skinner, Nicola
Bloom
Illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino
HarperCollins, 2019, pp320, £12.99
978 000 8297381
Sorrel Fallowfield lives in a drab grey world where
mass produced Chillz pizza is one of the few
highlights. She is desperate to make everything
okay for herself and her mum, so is star pupil at
Grittysnit School. Headmaster Mr Grittysnit insists
on complete adherence to his rules entirely
designed to crush imagination and initiative: ‘May
obedience shape you. May conformity mould you.
May rules polish you.’ Therefore, Sorrel is not
immediately keen to plant the ‘Surprising Seeds’
that burst out of the ground when her drab patio
mysteriously cracks open around its sole plant, a
sad diseased willow tree.
108 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Keen to know more about the seeds, Sorrel finds
in a mysterious overgrown oasis hidden deep in
the concrete of Little Sterilis. It turns out that
Strangeways garden centre has existed long
before the town was ‘modernised’ by concrete
and renamed for sterility. The seeds are a link to
that past and what they unleash is thrilling and
truly wild.
It is impossible to be anything other than
passionate about this wonderful novel, which I
am convinced will be a future children’s classic.
Exquisitely illustrated by Flavia Sorrentina, Nicola
Skinner’s story is surprising, moving, funny, and
gives the world a new heroine to love and admire
in Sorrel Fallowfield. I would love to read Bloom
aloud to my Year 6 class and know that they
would be captivated by every minute.
Ingrid Spencer
Taylor, Thomas
Malamander (The Legends of Eerieon-Sea)
Walker, 2019, pp304, £7.99
978 1 40638 628 8
It is Eerie-on-Sea, a seaside
resort in midwinter, and
twelvish-year-old Herbie
Lemon, a foundling, runs the
Lost-and-Found office at the
Grand Nautilus Hotel. He is
fine with property, but his
troubles start when twelveyear-old
Violet Parma takes refuge in his office.
Violet was abandoned as a baby, and thinks
Herbie, in view of his job, is just the right chap
to find her lost parents. And also to hide her
from her pursuer, a man with a boat-hook for a
hand. Herbie and Violet face two mysteries. One
is missing parents, but the other is the
Malamander, a monster that Violet’s parents
were seeking when they disappeared. Part man,
part fish, this monster visits the coast at Eerieon-Sea
each Winter, to lay an egg with the
magical property of granting wishes. Boathook
Man and a villain called Sebastian Eels (most
characters have nautical names) are also after
the monster’s magic egg, and frantic adventures
on land and water ensue before certain wishes
are granted, some justice is done, and Herbie
and Violet can start jointly running the Lost-and-
Foundery.
But they have still not found Violet’s parents –
presumed dead, but possibly alive. So at the end
of this comic and eventful seaside fantasy, there
are hints and opportunities for a sequel or two.
We must hope so, because this is a highly
readable, witty, suspenseful, ingenious tale, full of
action and mischief. There is scope for further
adventures to involve this pair of foundlings.
Warmly recommended for children of nine and
over.
Peter Hollindale
Wegelius, Jakob
Translated by Peter Graves
The Legend of Sally Jones
Pushkin Press, 2018, pp112, £12.99
978 1 78269 233 1
To any school librarian that has shared the novel,
The Murderer’s Ape, with its regular readers this
wonderful graphic text will be an essential
purchase. Sally Jones herself will already be loved
and admired; her fans will be delighted to meet
her again in this prequel. For those who haven’t
read The Murderer’s Ape, don’t worry – you don’t
have to read the novel to enjoy this book. The
original book may have been a little daunting to
some readers but this book is an easily
manageable length with intriguing artwork on
every page. The Legend relates the complex
circumstances which led to Sally, a gorilla,
becoming an engineer on a sea going ship. Sally
Jones is not a talking ape. She cannot physically
speak the language; what she has is a keen mind
and the facility to learn (hence the job of an
engineer). She may not speak the language but
she understands it, and can read. This prequel
matches the novel in its ability to be totally
convincing, full of fascinating characters and
riddled with coincidences. Even if you have not
met Sally Jones before, this is a story to enjoy told
through a fascinating written text accompanied
by equally engaging illustrations.
Prue Goodwin
Welford, Ross
The Dog Who Saved the World
HarperCollins, 2019, pp416, £6.99
978 00 0 825697 5
I must confess to being a huge
fan of Ross Welford, and this
book has done nothing to
disabuse me.
Georgie lives with her dad, her
big brother, and Jessica (her
dad’s partner). More than anything she wants a
dog, but brief ownership of Mr Mash reveals that
Jessica is very allergic to dogs so now Mr Mash
lives in a nearby dog shelter and Georgie
volunteers her time to help care for the
inhabitants.
We start the book with Georgie and her friend
Ramzy preparing to visit a complete stranger who
apparently lives in the dome of Whitley Bay’s
Spanish City. Dr Pretorius has created an amazing
3D game and she needs someone to test it for
her. Georgie and Ramzy are keen to help but it
must remain a secret.
Meanwhile, a deadly disease is spreading through
the canine population and it seems that it will
only be a matter of time before it spreads to
humans, with deadly consequences. Jessica is one
of the scientists working around the clock to find
a cure.
8 to 12
When inhabitants of the dog shelter where
Georgie works start displaying symptoms, it soon
becomes clear to Georgie that she is responsible
for the spread. It doesn’t take her long to decide
that the only option is to use Dr Pretorius’s
invention to travel through time and bring back
the cure.
All the best adventures have a certain lack of
parental intervention, but Welford does this really
believably. Parents aren’t feckless or disinterested,
they are busy and trusting and quite frankly their
children are a bit deceitful. As in The 1,000 Year
Old Boy, the authorities try their hardest to
protect the children, and in the process endanger
humankind. Lots of chasing, jumping, dodging,
and giant scorpions later... well, I shan’t spoil the
book for you.
This is a lovely book full of heart and humour. The
characters are flawed but engaging, the plot races
along and the ending is completely satisfying.
Helen Thompson
Williams, Eloise
Seaglass
Firefly Press, 2019, pp280, £6.99
978 1 91008 080 1
A terrifying opening passage in which a young
girl, being pursued by a pack of bullies baying for
blood, stands her ground and issues a curse. This
sets the scene for a ghost story which has the
reader enthralled and quivering with fright. Set in
the wilds of the Welsh coast, at a holiday caravan
park, the atmosphere is chilling.
Lark has a tough life – her mother is dying, her
sister, Snow, has stopped speaking and she has
fallen out with her best friend, Gwenni. A family
holiday intended to make things a little better and
to offer respite and peace to them all turns out to
be anything but! As Lark and Snow begin to
explore the beach and the surrounding woods,
the fog envelops them and a mysterious, shadowy
figure of a young girl appears. A sinister
relationship between the girl in the green dress
and Snow begins to develop and Lark, feeling
responsible, determines to rescue her sister from
the evolving danger. Links with the family’s past
unravel as secrets are revealed and the ghostly
curse lifted.
This is a gripping ghost story which will make the
pulse beat faster and should be read under the
bedclothes at night!
Jane Loder
Williams, Marcia
Cloud Boy
Walker, 2019, pp208, £6.99
978 1 4063 8121 4
Harry Christmas and Angie Moon live next door to
each other. They’ve been friends and ‘almost
twins’ since they were born two days apart. They
are partners in everything – sweet eating,
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 109

treehouse building and cloud spotting as Harry is
totally into cloud-spotting. When Harry starts
getting very bad headaches that won’t go away
and a visit to the hospital ultimately indicates a
serious and life limiting illness, the bonds of
friendship are tested to the limit, because it is
when things are falling apart that they need their
friendship the most. Interwoven with what is
happening to Harry, is the second story, that of
Angie’s Grandma Gertie and her late husband
Grandpa Jimmy. They met as children while both
were in Changi Jail during the second world war.
We learn of Gerties experiences there, in helping
to make the Changi Quilt in a series of letters she
wrote to her kitten which she reads aloud to
Harry and Angie as his illness progresses. The two
stories interweave seamlessly and it is through
understanding what Grandma Gertie went
through that Harry and Angie are helped to deal
with what is happening now. This element of the
story is based on the memories of Olga Morris
and the story of the real Changi Quilt and the
book contains information on this at the back.
Harry is also obsessed with cloud spotting and the
fascinating wealth of information on this also
enhances the story.
An absolutely beautiful piece of writing, this is an
honest, painful and sympathetic portrayal of
children and families dealing with terminal illness,
grief and loss. Written in diary format it draws the
reader in from the first page and doesn’t let go.
Even though it is dealing with such sadness, it
never becomes mawkish and strength, love, hope
and legacy are its underpinning messages. An
excellent read and an enjoyable, poignant yet
uplifting story which should be widely promoted.
Books that try to weave information into a fiction
story often don’t work successfully and it is a
testament to Marcia Williams’ skills as a writer
that in this book she has absolutely nailed it! I
loved it.
Annie Everall
8 to 12
8 to 12 Information
Amson-Bradshaw, Georgia
The Food We Eat (Eco Steam)
Wayland, 2018, pp48, £13.99
978 1 5263 0731 6
Any book which encourages children to act more
responsibly towards the environment is to be
congratulated. This book does just that in an
attractive, attention grabbing format. There is a
strong leaning towards vegetarianism and the
arguments against a meat based diet are
persuasive. Negative impacts of animal farming,
food distribution worldwide and food waste are
all confronted and nutrition is addressed.
Overfishing is covered, with the focus on food
chains and ecosystems. Unnecessary packaging
and plastic pollution is covered in some detail.
There are ‘Test It!’ sections, including instructions
for making bean burgers and for making simple
bio plastic (perhaps some adult supervision here)
and ‘Solve It!’ sections, with suggestions for
designing a balanced menu and ideas for
producing a poster to show how plastic pollution
can be avoided. This book attempts to cover a
wide range of aspects of the food we eat and,
although necessarily superficial in some parts,
succeeds in focusing on important issues in a
forceful and effective way.
Alison Hurst
Brooks, Susie
Impressionism (Inside Art
Movements)
Wayland, 2018, pp48, £13.99
978 1 5263 0495 7
This is an excellent introduction to
Impressionism and the artists who
introduced it. The origins of the
movement are traced back to the
open air painting of the Barbizon
school, and the Impressionists are
placed in their historical context in
brief notes which do not overburden the reader
with information, but serve to increase
appreciation of the paintings. There is a
particularly vivid example of the book’s techniques
on pp14-15, which juxtaposes a historical
painting by Delaroche with Millet’s Man with a
Hoe and then with Manet’s notorious Luncheon
on the Grass. The book contains a selection of the
most representative paintings of the Impressionist
movement. The colour printing leaves a little to be
desired, as is to be expected from the book’s cost,
but even so the reader can easily identify the
varying techniques used by the artists. The placing
of the paintings within the book is very carefully
considered; thus, Seurat’s Grande Jatte is placed
opposite Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Degas’
Mary Cassatt at the Louvre opposite Tanaka
Masunobu’s Young Man playing a Flute. Readers
of any age will find the book informative, helpful,
and enjoyable.
Martin Axford
Brundle, Harriet
Photosynthesis (What Living Things
Eat)
Booklife Publishing, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 78637 467 7
Whether your breakfast is plants or meat, all
living things have to eat!
Written by Harriet Brundle, this science book from
the series ‘What Living Things Eat’ is a great
introduction to photosynthesis for KS1. Young
readers (KS1) will learn all about food and more
specifically about photosynthesis and plants –
what the latter need to stay alive and how crucial
the food chain is to living things, including us: allconsuming
omnivores.
The hardback includes a Contents Page, a
Glossary and an Index but could have also
benefited from a Further Reading section.
Océane Toffoli
Claybourne, Anna
This Drop of Water
Illustrated by Sally Garland
Franklin Watts, 2018, pp48, £13.99
978 1 4451 6365 9
If a child has ever wondered where the water
goes when it rains, then this book answers their
questions in an entertaining and informative way.
From a clap of thunder and the raindrops hitting
the dusty ground to their journey to the sea and
back into clouds, every stage of the water cycle is
explained in clear, concise and child-friendly
language. The text is accompanied by illustrations
which highlight and enhance the points made. A
great deal is covered including where water
comes from, how much there is in the world and
how we should look after the supply. The reader is
also invited to consider some unusual facts about
water and to try some simple experiments. This is
highly recommended for the primary school library
and readers of 6+.
Jayne Gould
Deutsch, Libby and Kerttula, Valpuri
The Everyday Journeys of Ordinary
Things
Ivy Kids, 2019, pp48, £12.99
978 1 78240 635 8
The introduction outlines a recognisable family
weekend scenario: getting up, getting dressed,
eating breakfast and switching on the television.
The book then proceeds to explain how these
things come about, for example, where clothes
and food come from and the journey of money.
These pages cover the history of currencies and
electronic transfer of money too. I have read other
similar books, but Deutsch’s version is much better
and more up to date, as it includes electronic
communications, how the Internet works and GPS.
Everyday processes range from the postal system
to food, clothes, paper, bottles, water and how
books get published. Each process is covered in
two pages, with arrows and numbered steps
guiding the reader around. The captions explaining
each stage are detailed but concise.
I have never previously read such a good
explanation of the publishing process, from idea,
through editorial decisions, to marketing to
publishing. Similarly, the journey of GPS is very
thorough, even explaining why data is slow
sometimes (delayed communication between
satellites and the app.) The clear, colourful and
simple illustrations add process information, as do
the more detailed snippets of information on
most pages. This book is perfect for a school
library and for an inquisitive child.
Lucy Chambers
110 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Duhig, Holly
Exploring The Woodland (Geokids)
Booklife Publishing, 2019, pp24, £12.99
978 1 78637 439 4
This volume involves an intrepid team of explorers
as they search for answers in their urban
surroundings. Using local resources, it shows
what can be done within a short distance from
your own home or school. Designed for younger
primaries it includes double page spreads on
leaves, lakes, and trees. The book ‘bounces’ along
with ideas on how to build your own ‘eco-den’
and ways of recognising things you might find in
the woods. It is heavily illustrated and features
number of different children. Key words are
highlighted and there is a short glossary at the
back. The text is laid over larger photographs.
There are plenty of short fact sections which have
been boxed and lots of tips and suggestions on
how to get the most out of any visit to your local
woodlands. The book would also be ideal as a
starting point or springboard for further discovery
work.
A delightful read and a book that has a fresh and
lively approach. If the others in the series are as
good as this volume, then it might be very
worthwhile buying the whole set.
Godfrey Hall
Gogerly, Liz
Go Green!
Illustrated by Miguel Sanchez
Franklin Watts, 2018, pp48, £13.99
978 1 4451 5849 5
Combining a narrative prose and information text
it all starts out at Anjal’s party looking at the
different elements of the event such as the
balloons, plastic toys and food waste. The book
then goes on to discuss how this waste can be
disposed of and the impact of festivals on our
environment. As someone who regularly attends
the Glastonbury Festival a few miles from my
home I am always incredibly impressed with the
clean-up operation which takes places after
around 150,000 plus people leave the site. Also
the way in which it is returned back to its original
condition in just a few weeks.
Go Green also looks at ways in with we can
reduce our carbon emissions and why recycling is
so important. It is very well laid out and is not
text heavy in any way combining short bites of
information with an excellent selection of
comprehensive diagrams and appealing drawings.
The children who feature at the start of the book
continue throughout the story which visits school
dinners, water concerns and clean ways of
producing energy. It all ends up with a giant eco
festival at school which provides an excellent
finale. I was very impressed with the well
documented glossary and section on finding out
more which directs the reader to several suitable
websites. I am sure that this volume will not only
connect with young readers but also the wider
community around them. A great read and ideal
for the primary range.
Godfrey Hall
Golding, Julia; Briggs, Andrew and
Wagner, Roger
Rocky Road to Galileo (The Curious
Science Quest)
Lion Publishing, 2018, pp 112, £5.99
978 0 7459 7752 2
Did you know that Schrödinger’s cat was called
Milton and that Darwin’s tortoise was called
Harriet? The two pets form an unlikely partnership
to travel across time in their search to unravel
some of the mysteries surrounding our place in
the universe. In the current book we start with
Milton searching for Harriet. She is soon found,
and so the pets continue their travels, unearthing
plenty of science, mathematics, history and
knowledge on the way, but in such a fashion that
readers’ curiosities will be piqued. Cartoon
presentations, charts, fact files and conundrums
all lure the reader in to read and find out more; I
found the book hard to put down! Both homes
and class libraries would be well advised to stock
up on this book and the others in the series. Very
highly recommended.
Rudolf Loewenstein
Holowaty, Lauren
Roald Dahl’s Matilda’s How to be a
Genius
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Puffin, 2019, pp96, £7.99
978 0 241 37118 3
This manual begins with a
proviso, some may call it a
warning: the publisher has taken
all reasonable measures to
ensure that the activities are safe
for children. There is a clear sign
when they may need some adult
assistance or supervision. However, if you know
of a child who would like to be able to baffle,
bewilder, bamboozle then this could be the very
book they need. Learn how to make an orange
drop (and discover the power of inertia), wow an
audience with a very special banana slicing trick,
make paper newts float, create a perpetual
spinner, even learn how to make water bend.
None of the tricks and experiments in this book
are particularly dangerous but they may be best
undertaken in a safe and supervised environment
or adults may wish to make use of them in the
classroom or at a school club. This book will
provide many hours of fun for children and adults
alike, safe, challenging and engaging it may
additionally encourage skills of patience, close
attention to detail and will result in some
fantastic learning.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
8 to 12
Hubbard, Ben
Roman Britain and Londinium (Time
Travel Guides)
Franklin Watts, 2018, pp32, £12.99
978 1 4451 5730 6
A really engaging and entertaining read, packed
with bite sized information and appealing
illustrations. I love the concept – a history book in
a travel blog format. Great for KS2 reference;
complete with index, glossary, and guidance on
further reading and websites.
Tracy Hart
Ipcizade, Catherine
Phases of the Moon (Cycles of
Nature)
Raintree, 2019, pp24, £11.99
978 1 4747 6069 0
This is a lovely information book explaining the
different phases of the moon, pitched at a perfect
level for lower KS2 children. It explains the moon
cycle, with a mix of photos and illustrations,
including all the different names for them.
Children will really enjoy finding out about a
lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse. The book also
includes some additional books recommendations
and websites for children to find out more. This
will be a great addition to a school library and
useful for topics on space.
Kate Keaveny
Kemp, Rob
The Good Guys: 50 Heroes Who
Changed the World with Kindness
Illustrated by Paul Blow
Wren & Rook, 2018, pp128, £12.99
978 1 5263 6144 8
This is a useful and inspiring reference work
which can also be read straight through as an
instructive and interesting information book. The
author states how difficult it was to choose 50
men to feature in this book. It is pleasing to note
that several of these cameos (double page
spread, text and illustration) deal with heroes
who have by no means always been ‘good guys’,
however, their generosity in other respects
outweighs their less heroic acts. Some of the
subjects are fairly obvious, including Oskar
Schindler, Nelson Mandela and Bill Gates.
The inclusion of some others is surprising, but
totally justifiable, including George Michael
(wonderful, anonymous kindness and generosity),
Usain Bolt and Edmund Hillary. Several good guys
are those with whom many might be unfamiliar. I
was delighted to discover James Harrison
(unbelievably generous blood donor who has
saved the lives of over two million babies), Fred
Hollows (pioneering ophthalmologist) and Pierre
Toussaint (American philanthropist). There is a
section in the middle featuring children and
teenagers who have achieved remarkable things
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 111

through acts of kindness and generosity. The
illustrations of these heroes are striking and
effective works of art, complementing the text
really well. This is an uplifting book which should
prove popular. Can we hope to see a companion
volume featuring kind heroines?
Alison Hurst
Khan, Hiba Noor
Malala Yousafzai (Extraordinary
Lives)
Illustrated by Rita Petralucci
Puffin, 2019, pp128, £6.99
978 0 241 37275 3
The outline story of Malala
Yousafzai’s amazing and inspiring
life, at least from her devastating
shooting onwards, is of course
relatively well known, but it’s
good to have all the facts about
her family, her upbringing, her life
in Pakistan, the attack that nearly killed her and
its aftermath pulled together and brought up to
date in this concise and accessible account. Her
influence and legacy are also explored. The
information is laid out clearly. Key words are
printed in bold and explanations of words that
children may not be familiar with, for instance
oppression and extremist, are provided in bubbles
on the page, preferable to a glossary, as children
are more likely to look at them. Particularly
significant or surprising facts are highlighted
through the use of large print, different fonts and
comic-style bubbles. Each page is curated carefully
so that readers are not inundated with
information. Monochrome illustrations help with
visualising and understanding. Historical,
geographical and religious and cultural
background information provides context. There
are maps and a timeline. A number of pages have
‘Did you know?’ sections. One example informs
readers that staff at the hospital in Birmingham
where she was treated brought her food from KFC
to cheer her up! A double-page spread prompts
readers to think about issues Malala’s story raises,
such as how they would feel if their right to
education was taken away and whether there is
anyone else they particularly admire. Quotes from
Malala herself as well as others pepper the book.
The sources of these are provided at the end,
together with an index. The pages are off-white to
aid readability, with the text and pictures in
shades of salmon pink.
Suitable for KS2 and lower KS3, this will be a
useful addition to classrooms and libraries,
complementing the books that Malala Yousafzai
has herself written for children. Puffin’s new
Extraordinary Lives series also includes books
about Michelle Obama and Stephen Hawking. The
book ends with snippets from these. Still to come
are volumes about Katherine Johnson, Rosa Parks,
Mary Seacole, Mahatma Gandhi and others.
Anne Harding
8 to 12
Lin, Joy
Heroes of Light and Sound
(Superpower Science)
Illustrated by Alan Brown
Wayland, 2018, pp32, £12.99
978 1 5263 0584 8
One of four titles in Wayland’s KS2/3 Superpower
Science series, the book is presented in comic
book style. Based on the premise of applying the
laws of physics to superpowers, this title looks at
invisibility, x-ray vision, super hearing and a sonic
scream. The other titles deal with forces, matter
and the body.
The pages are colourful and eye-catching, with
what the publisher describes as ‘vintage’ comicstyle
superhero illustrations. There are display
panels and a mix of type faces, but the pages are
not over-full or difficult to follow, except that most
of the text, in comic book style, is uppercase.
Each section of the book shows the reality of a
particular superpower, often with humour. So for
example, we learn that being invisible would not
only be cold and inconvenient, but would only last
until you got wet or dirty.
With clearly labelled chapters and end matter
including a glossary, further reading and an index,
the book could support project work. In each
section there is a short description of how the
science behind the superpowers has actually been
used to advance medicine and technology. In brief,
this is a multi-function book: alongside the science
there is material here for those who enjoy lateral
thinking in terms of what a superpower really
means, and also plenty for those who like comic
books, or just prefer information books for their
leisure reading.
Sally Perry
MacCarald, Clara
How Did Robots Land on Mars?
(Bright Idea Books)
Raintree, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 4747 7525 0
This informative book has an uncomplicated page
design with clear, well-spaced larger text and eyecatching
illustrations. The landing of robots on
Mars is described in simple accessible sentences.
Beginning with Viking 1 in 1976 and continuing
through to the 2012 landing of the Curiosity, the
book considers the changing technology of
landing on Mars. It mentions some unsuccessful
missions, considers the difficulties of landing on
Mars, and looks to the future challenges involved
in humans travelling to Mars.
It all culminates with an interesting trivia page
and a very ambitious ‘landing an egg’ practical
activity. There is a useful glossary where terms in
bold text throughout the book can be found and
many pages have coloured text boxes containing
interesting fast facts. There are helpful suggestions
of how to find out more, including web addresses
for NASA children’s pages. This book is an
enjoyable and thorough, basic introduction to
travel to Mars.
Chantal Kelleher
Mason, Paul
On Planet Earth (Cause, Effect and
Chaos)
Wayland, 2018, pp32, £12.99
978 1 5263 0576 3
Every day the Earth is subject to a huge number of
natural occurrences including earthquakes, floods,
storms, exploding volcanoes and melting glaciers.
All these events have a major impact of the
surface of our planet and combined have a great
deal of influence on our daily lives.
This is an extremely interesting book that I am
sure will appeal to a wide audience. Cause and
effect is the connection of two events when as the
book states ‘the first event leads to the second.’
The first double page spread explains in simple
terms how this works and then goes onto
examine a number of natural cause and effect
situations. These include the Big Bang theory and
the cause and effect of volcanic explosions. I
found the book very intriguing and a really novel
approach to natural science. There are examples of
what might happen if the planet overheats and
how the sea is basically eating the land in a
variety of locations such as Canada and also
around our coastline.
I am sure that it could stimulate a great deal of
discussion with primary students and lead to some
very interesting projects and investigations. An
original volume with a great deal of potential.
Godfrey Hall
Newland, Sonya
Extraordinary Skyscrapers (Fact
Finders: Exceptional Engineering)
Raintree, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 4747 7549 6
Extraordinary Skyscrapers provides an introduction
to most of the ten tallest buildings in the world. It
begins with the famous Flatiron Building in New
York, and moves on via London’s Gherkin and the
World Financial Centre in Shanghai to Dubai’s Burj
Khalifa, the tallest at the time of printing.
The book gives an easy and simple introduction to
the building techniques of skyscrapers, showing
how they are built to cope with winds and
earthquakes. It does not hide the fact that there is
a rather childish element of macho competition, as
the countries in the old, the new, and the newly
developed world play a game of ‘My skyscraper is
taller than yours’. It is difficult for most people to
gain an affection for skyscrapers, but this book
will at least make the reader look at them in a
more informed way.
Martin Axford
112 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Pankhurst, Kate
Fantastically Great Women Who
Worked Wonders
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 4088 9926 7
This book, alongside
Kate Pankhurst’s other
works (Fantastically
Great Women Who
Changed the World and
Fantastically Great
Women Who Made History) does away with the
notion that the ability and the opportunity to
achieve great things depends on one’s gender.
This particular book looks specifically at women
in the world of work and comes up with an
eclectic collection of careers to illustrate the point
that ability, curiosity and determination are not
gender-dependent.
The thirteen examples chosen here are each
explored over a double page spread of text and
colourful illustration explaining the significance of
the achievements coupled with highly coloured
illustrations. The choice of women is interesting
and many will be new to both child and adult
readers. Rosalind Franklin and Dr James Barry will
probably be familiar names but Maria Sibylla
Merian (a naturalist from Germany of the 1650s),
Katia Krafft (a volcanologist who died in 1991),
Katherine Johnson (a mathematician who worked
on the space missions of the 1960s) and the
Matchgirls in the London of the 1880s who
fought for workers’ rights, may not be so well
known.
The potential difficulty with referring to ‘Great
Women’ in the title is that, while girls may read
the book and be inspired, boys possibly might
think the book has no relevance for them. This
would be a great shame as the fundamental
message of the book is for children, of whatever
gender, to follow their passions and to persevere
in the face of obstacles.
June Hughes
Prasadam-Halls, Smriti and
Woodward, Jonathan
The World of the Whale
Wren & Rook, 2018, pp48, £12.99
978 1 5263 6064 9
This exquisite large size clothbound book would
be an asset to any school or personal library. The
quality of the information shared is matched with
beautiful painted and collaged illustrations across
every double page spread. Although whales are
very well-known animals there is still new
information here, such as the pages on whale
families, the way that whales communicate, and
their thinking skills.
This book could be used in class as an example of
modern ways to present non-fiction texts as both
the language and balance between text headings
and images is exemplary. Teachers looking for
texts which compress a lot of information into
elegant paragraphs with a range of complex
sentence and grammatical structures in use could
do no better than to use this exquisite book.
In addition, it would be a great source material
for art projects thinking
about the ways to use
texture and colours. In
particular, the page ‘A
balancing act about
plankton’ is extraordinary
and could inspire artwork
up to A-level.
Ingrid Spencer
Radeva, Sabina
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of
Species
Puffin, 2019, pp64, £12.99
978 0 14138850 2
The publisher claims that this is the ‘first ever
picture book retelling’ of the title. Radeva trained
as a scientist before launching a career ‘blending
science with art.’ The text contains simplified
explanations of the main concepts expanding on
selected quotations from Darwin. This is achieved
quite effectively using short paragraphs
interspersed with cartoon text boxes and naïvestyle
illustrations. The book is not an easy read, as
befits the subject matter. An example is the
double-page about species. The quotation from
Darwin is complex but Radeva’s explanation is
simpler and reinforced by very simple pictures.
Actually grasping the concept might take the
reader a while to process. Some of the
illustrations are very detailed, for example, the
page identifying different kinds of pigeons. In the
Appendix Radeva outlines further explanations
about DNA, variations, mutations and other
evolution theory concepts. There is also a page
about misconceptions, a glossary and a very short
bibliography. A highlight of the book is the
butterfly- and beetle-filled endpapers, which will
fascinate anyone interested in the natural world.
This book is a useful addition to other children’s
books about Darwin and the theory of evolution.
Lucy Chambers
Ridley, Sarah
Birds Have Feathers (In the Animal
Kingdom)
Wayland, 2018, pp24, £11.99
978 1 5263 0928 0
A great book for independent study for KS2
readers. This colourful book delivers bite-sized
chunks of information explaining how animals are
scientifically categorised before specialising in the
bird category. Everything from flight, to feeding
habits, living habitats and migration patterns are
explained. A useful glossary and index helps the
reader navigate this book with ease.
Tracy Hart
8 to 12
Sánchez Vegara, Isabel
Muhammad Ali (Little People Big
Dreams)
Illustrated by Brosmind
Frances Lincoln, 2019, pp32, £9.99
978 1 786 037336
This is proving a very popular series of books
portraying important cultural figures and role
models for younger children and coming both in
hardback and board back formats. This manages
to encapsulate a long and very eventful life and
complex themes in a way that will make sense to
younger readers particularly if provided with
support and guidance from an adult co-reader.
There is also further helpful additional biographical
text at the back of the book which shed more
light on the civil rights context, Ali’s conversion to
Islam, his opposition to the Vietnam war and his
subsequent boxing ban. There is reference to his
use of rhyme to both entertain the public and rile
and intimidate his opponents. The author refers to
accusations of his ‘trash talk’ and indeed his use
of the term ‘rope a dope’ to describe a strategy for
defeating an opponent has not really worn well
but his status as a role model known throughout
the world is indisputable. The illustrations are also
effective in showing his passage through life
course and I particularly liked the image of an
older Ali supported by his cane as he come to
terms with Parkinson’s disease particularly
memorable.
John Newman
Sawyer, Ava
Fossils (Fact Finders: Rocks)
Raintree, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 4747 6016 4
Fossils forms one book of four in the Rocks series
by Raintree. Broken into broad key areas, this
book outlines all of the facts about fossils you
would expect to find. That is; what they are, how
they are formed and the history behind
discovering them. There is a good deal of
information about dinosaurs too and the book
even touches on fossil fuels and the environment.
One of the real merits of this book, is that there is
a great balance of text and images throughout
the book, which also makes it an engaging read.
The images are of differing sizes and formats; we
see photos, maps and illustrations drawn onto
each page. There are, at times, rather large
chunks of writing to digest but the ‘fact boxes’
littered infrequently throughout the book help to
break these down. Keywords are also highlighted
within the text, which then forms part of the
page footer along with their meanings. This book
is perfect for a good (and not too over-whelming)
grounding on this fascinating topic and provides
some essential facts that are crucial for research.
This book is very intuitively structured and well
laid-out, making it an essential addition for any
school library.
Claire Warren
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 113

Spilsbury, Louise
It’s My Body
8 to 12
Illustrated by Mirella Mariani
Franklin Watts, 2018, pp32, £12.99
978 1 4451 6167 9
This is an important
and valuable book
on a crucial topic. It’s
My Body provides
simple guidelines for
children about how
to keep their bodies healthy, how to
distinguish between appropriate and
inappropriate touching, and what to do
about touching that feels wrong.
The tone is positive. The opening words for
example are ‘Every body is amazing! Bodies
come in all different shapes, sizes and
colours, but they are all brilliant.’ The next
few pages cover issues like healthy eating,
exercise and sleep. Then the focus turns to
touching. Some touching feels good, like a
goodnight kiss or holding hands with
someone you care about when crossing the
road. But sometimes you may not feel like
being hugged or kissed or tickled. ‘It’s OK to
say no, even to somebody you love. Your
body belongs to you.’ Pinching, punching
and hurting are never okay. Tell an adult you
trust so they can sort it out.
There is a clear explanation of private parts,
with explicit statements that other people
should not touch these, except in very
specific situations, such as at the doctor’s. It’s
not okay either for other people to show you
their private parts or to ask to be touched
there. Some secrets are good, like a birthday
present, but secrets that are upsetting should
be shared. Your trusted grown-up will help
you. ‘You get to choose what happens to
your body and no one else… Your body
belongs to you and it’s yours for life.’ This is
followed by a double-page spread about
how to get help if you don’t feel you can tell
an adult you know, with details of how to
contact Childline. There is also guidance for
parents, carers and teachers on using the
book with children and helping them
understand the issues, plus links to further
information.
A very impressive book that explores difficult
issues clearly and sensitively and provides vital
practical information and advice. It never
scare-mongers, instead aiming to empower
children. ‘It’s your body and you have the
power to keep it safe and healthy and happy.’
The colourful, attractive and inclusive
illustrations throughout complement the text
admirably. Recommended for classrooms and
libraries and homes. This will be an extremely
useful aid to important discussions.
Anne Harding
Thomas, Isabel
Ferdinand Magellan
Illustrated by Dàlia Adillon
Laurence King, 2019, pp64, £8.99
978 1 786274007
A beautiful book in the series Little Guides to Great
Lives, introducing children to Ferdinand Magellan’s
epic journey around the globe. The book is hardbound
A5 with 64 pages of high-quality paper stock. Isabel
Thomas’ text is easily accessible and supported by a
comprehensive glossary and detailed timeline. Dàlia
Adillon’s lively illustrations both support and lead the
text and it is fair to say that the combination of text,
dimensions, materials and illustrations contribute to
this being a book that children will want to read. It is
truly a multi-modal text. The aesthetic qualities of this
book are delightful. Its size means that it fits neatly
into the hands of a young reader. The colour palette is
well selected, is used throughout the book, and is
eye-catchingly different to the vast array of nonfiction
texts. The materials selected for the book are
durable and high-quality; again, setting the book
apart from the noisy, glossy texts that are often used
to present information to children. The text is warm
and friendly, whilst maintaining an authoritative and
informative tone. This is a book that recognises that
children can be discerning readers of high-quality
non-fiction rather than consumers of gaudily
presented facts. Many children’s books about the
great explorations of the past either ignore or glossover
the less distasteful aspects of exploration,
imperialism and discovery. Not this book. Isabel
Thomas refrains from using the language of
‘discovery’ and quite explicitly notes the human cost
of European exploration and the imperialism that
sprang from it. This is very welcome indeed.
Rachel Clarke
Thomas, Isabel
This Book is Not Rubbish
Illustrated by Alex Paterson
Wren & Rook, 2018, pp208, £6.99
978 1 5263 61530
This book is all about saving the planet. It covers fifty
areas, including avoiding eating meat, recycling glass,
saving water and even recycling this book (by giving
it to someone else, rather than throwing it away). The
book has no introduction explaining the whys and
wherefores of recycling and climate change, but leaps
straight into practical tasks, with just a brief
explanation at the start of each section as to why
these are necessary and how they might help save
the planet. Thomas also includes a visual ‘Planet-O-
Meter,’ (with a key to the symbols used,) in each
section which graphically shows the impact, cost,
difficulty and what your effort benefits. Hard statistics
are stated clearly and interspersed with practical
activities that can have an impact. For example, Go
Swishing (pp72–77) states that the equivalent of
‘22,727 articulated lorry-loads of cotton, nylon and
sequins’ is bought as clothes in the UK annually.
Thomas suggests practical and fun activities to
counteract this waste, such as holding a clothesswap.
The jaunty illustrations add to the positive
messages in this enterprising book. This Book is Not
Rubbish, in fact it is eye-opening and practical. Highly
recommended for any child interested in conservation
issues.
Lucy Chambers
Twiddy, Robin
Plastic Panic! (Polluted Planet)
Booklife Publishing, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 78637 524 7
We have recently seen more and more protests by
young people concerning the state of our planet and
in particular the disposal of plastic waste. Part of a
series on the problems of a polluted planet, this
book, which is designed for primary and possibly
secondary students, looks in detail at the issue
surrounding plastic products. With social media and
the internet in mind it employs a narrative text
combined with fact boxes looking at the danger of
plastics and how we might resolve them. It is written
with youngsters in mind in a style which I am sure
will appeal to all ages. It includes explanations on
how plastic is made, the dangers of plastic packaging
and the problem of nappies which not only take a
long time to degrade but also let out toxins. But the
book is not all doom and gloom and provides a range
of alternative solutions with suggestions on how to
tackle many of these issues that currently face the
world. It ends with a reference to a young man called
Boyar Slat who has come up with a device that
cleans up oceanic plastics by using tidal currents,
feeding plastic through special nets. A most
impressive book, it is easy to read and ideal for any
school or class library.
Godfrey Hall
Wood, John
Circulation (Under Your Skin)
Booklife Publishing, 2019, pp32, £12.99
978 1 78637 462 2
This fascinating book is a comprehensive guide to the
circulation system. Seymour Skinless, the world’s
smallest doctor, shrinks the reader down to take a
journey into the amazing machine that is the human
body. Heavily illustrated with an excellent page layout,
the explanations are delivered in manageable bite
sized chunks. User friendly, uncomplicated diagrams
are integrated throughout. Amazing facts are
interspersed through the more complex information
and provide an additional layer of interest. The book
contains clear and straightforward explanations of
complex body systems and includes detailed
information on the heart, lungs, cuts and infection
fighting. Disease is considered in a non-alarming way
and includes a nod to healthy living. Useful phonetic
explanations of how to pronounce some of the more
difficult terms, a clear glossary and a helpful index
complete this appealing package. The book
successfully conveys the amazing body system that is
the circulation in an impressively accessible way.
Chantal Kelleher
114 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Poetry & Plays
Coelho, Joseph
A Year of Nature Poems
Illustrated by Kelly Louise Judd
Wide Eyed Editions, 2019, pp32, £11.99
978 1 78603 582 0
The first thing that struck me
on picking up my copy of A
Year of Nature Poems was
the artwork. Kelly Louise
Judd’s folksy, crafty style is
evocative of the illustrations
of books from my own
childhood in the 1970s. It’s an old-fashioned
looking book that will stand out from the crowd
in the contemporary library.
It was only after drinking-in Judd’s vibrant
illustrations, that I noticed the poems in this
collection were written by Joseph Coelho. I came
to Coelho via Overheard in a Towerblock and so
associate him with a gritty, hard-edged realism
that talks to young urban readers often alienated
by more traditional poetry. I was intrigued. How
was Coelho going to treat a collection of nature
poems?
The answer, of course, is as Joseph Coelho. This is
not a collection of whimsical rhymes about the
natural world. The poems are not written with the
sing-song rhythms, repeated refrains and
predictable rhyme schemes of other children’s
poetry collections. Instead they play with sounds,
riddle with words to conjure images through often
evocative imagery. They speak to the child in us
all, and especially to the child who has holidayed
in rented caravans, has been scrumping in the
inner-city and has hung around on their flat
balcony while the April showers have hammered
down around them. Once again, Coelho has
brought his world-view to the world of nature
poetry and created a collection of poetry that will
challenge, but reward, older readers in KS2.
Rachel Clarke
Dowling, Finuala
Pretend You Don’t Know Me
Bloodaxe, 2018, pp136, £12.00
978 1 78037 424 6
This collection is the South African poet’s first
book-length UK publication and, on this showing,
it is long overdue. It draws from four previous
collections dated between 2002 and 2014,
including the wonderfully titled ‘Doo-Wop Girls of
the Universe’, and concludes with a number of
works under the designation ‘New Poems’. The
cover, a photograph of a zebra wearing
sunglasses, is an ideal introduction to poetry that
is witty, punchy and full of surprises. The zebra
himself makes an appearance during a childhood
game in which children identify themselves as
animals, and, while other girls reference majestic
creatures from the Serengeti, the poet calls out ‘I
am the ZEBRA’, speaking for ‘the muzzled, for all
browsers, for the small…for the hunted, for the
herd’. Her poems reflect what has been called ‘the
domestic sublime’, since the larger themes of love,
loss and death are approached through the
apparently mundane. The poet is, indeed,
sometimes distracted from her main business by
trivia: ‘I was meant to be writing a poem/but
because I’m human I made a lasagne
instead/while simultaneously composing a poem
in my head’.
The first poem in the book introduces us
immediately to her mastery of bathos. She tells us
about her home and the people in it, noting that
there is no husband, no dog and no cat: ‘People
sometimes ask about the cat.’ Her summary of life
begins ‘You’re born/You go to the dentist/then you
die’ before further exploration leads us to the
‘Polonaise heroique’. Poem after poem presents us
with unexpected imagery which, after the initial
shock, leads to reflection: ‘I like an insult,/the way
it fits into my palm/like a hand grenade/or my
own Marmite jar’. Particularly startling is the
sequence of poems under the title ‘Notes from the
Dementia Ward’, describing experiences with an
eighty-five-year-old mother, who turns eighty-six
during the sequence. Some poems capture the
horror of dementia and of caring for loved ones
who have dementia with affecting poignancy,
while others display her characteristic rueful wit:
her mother, having been reminded that the
husband she has asked after is dead, replies, ‘How
lucky he is’/’You could join him’, I suggest./
’I didn’t like him that much’, she replies’. Many of
her poems begin with a statement which raises
the eyebrows and then leads to a riff which,
against all the odds, makes perfect sense: ‘our lips
made history; boys we kissed/at seventeen are
now distinguished men’. Mention must also be
made of ‘The differences between Middle and
Modern English’ in which a pronoun is defined as
‘a word that stands in for you when you are not
around’. Students of all ages will relish this
collection from a truly individual voice.
Frank Startup
Seigal, Joshua
I Bet I Can Make You Laugh
Illustrated by Tim Wesson
Bloomsbury, 2018, pp96, £5.99
978 1 4729 5548 7
Poet and performer Joshua Seigal brings his
exuberant and playful style to this new collection
of comic verse. The collection is organised into six
themed sections (Words! Words! Words!, School,
Home Life, Animals, Food, Leftovers) and features
original poems by Seigal, in addition to other wellknown
writers like A.F. Harrold, Andy Seed, Roger
Poetry & Plays
Stevens and Sue Hardy-Dawson. Even nineteenthcentury
writer Lewis Carroll features in the ‘Home
Life’ section with his classic comic poem ‘You Are
Old, Father William’.
The collection is an ideal introduction to poetry
which employs different structures, and wordplay
features heavily. From the inventive use of
language and defiance of scansion in Sue Hardy-
Dawson’s ‘Dramatic Pause’ to Roger Stevens’
‘LOB’, which explores modern use of text speak
and acronyms, there is plenty for KS2 teachers to
draw upon and share. Many of the poems are
meant to be performed or read aloud; the rap
rhythm of Sarah Smith’s ‘Nature Trail’ would also
make a unique basis for a writing frame. A serious
ecological message underlies the light, captivating
tone of ‘Panda Versus Penguin’ by Angela Cleland,
which is a great lead-in to any scheme of work on
global warming and climate change.
As Seigal says in his introduction, some of these
poems are very silly, but some will make pupils
(and teachers) think quite deeply.
Alison Brumwell
Stevens, Roger
I Am a Jigsaw (High Low)
Illustrated by Spike Gerrell
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp112, £5.99
978 1 4729 5819 8
Roger Stevens has expanded his
wide range of children’s poetry
anthologies with this enjoyable
collection of puzzle poems.
Children will relish working out
the answers as they move from
easy riddles to more difficult
conundrums and wordplay challenges through a
collection subtitled ‘Puzzling poems to baffle your
brain’. With acrostics, kennings, rebus poems and
haikus included, this anthology will also work well
as an aide to teachers as they introduce pupils to
different types of poem.
The introduction gives a short history of riddles
and puzzles, answers are provided throughout,
there are explanations of the various poetry forms
and Part Two of the volume encourages children
to try writing their own puzzle poems, with clear
step-by-step examples given. This is an
entertaining, readable anthology enhanced by the
humorous, cartoon-style illustrations; it will
challenge primary-age children’s puzzle-solving
skills whilst keeping them amused and engaged.
Sue Roe
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The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 115

12 to 16
12–16 Fiction
Ahmed, Samira
Internment
Atom, 2019, pp400, £7.99
978 0 349 00334 4
So, internment camps for Muslim
Americans in an America of the
future. Far-fetched or possible?
This chilling story will make you
think – could that really happen?
Worryingly you have to admit,
and history shows us, that it is
horribly believable.
Layla Amin and her parents are suddenly and
forcibly taken out of their established,
comfortable life in Los Angeles and detained in
Camp Mobius in the mountains of California,
along with hundreds of others. She is devastated
to leave behind her boyfriend, David and her
freedoms and she refuses to acquiesce to the
harsh regime.
Life in Camp Mobius is ruled over by the Director
and his Exclusion Guards and Layla, along with
her new friends, sets about challenging their
imprisonment and trying to raise awareness of
their predicament. They have some success but
the authorities do not like to be challenged and
are soon restricting the inmates’ daily life even
more. Layla finds an ally amongst the guards and
more friends to help her; but as their rebellion
builds it leads to tragic consequences and
extreme danger for Layla and her parents.
This is an enthralling read, we are used to
reading stories about life and survival in refugee
camps. It is unsettling to read about a possible
situation which might arise in the free world.
Brenda Heathcote
Barr, Emily
The Girl Who Came Out of the
Woods
Penguin, 2019, pp400, £7.99
978 0 24134522 1
The title tells it all. Artemis, the heroine, is the girl
of the title, the girl who came out of the woods. A
long and convoluted tale which requires the
reader to be vigilant, to be constantly questioning
his or her ideas and perceptions of what is going
on in a storyline which switches in alternate
chapters from first to third person narrative.
Anyone who likes an ongoing puzzle – ‘Arty and
Luna had different parents but they were still
sisters.’ Really? How come? – will love this.
The first chapter appears to be set in a place of
detention; there is a charged atmosphere of fear
and panic. Questions arise in the reader’s mind
but are not answered. Is it a place for the
mentally ill? Is the character a political prisoner?
The environment in the next chapter is totally
different: ‘ a forest in India, sixty miles and an
entire universe from Mumbai’. Peace, tranquility,
order, a place in which to mature and learn, a
place from which crime, addiction, corruption
are absent. Her parents had come to this
clearing in the forest, her mother from England
and her father from Delhi, intending to remain
there for a year and instead had stayed for ten
years. Others joined them and over time the
plan was to leave this idyllic environment only in
the event of an emergency which they would be
powerless to control without help from the
outside world. The catalyst came, a sickness, a
fever, an ague – which brought pain and death
to the community. And as a result, Artemis
‘came out of the woods.’
This is a lengthy read in which interest is skilfully
maintained over virtually 400 pages and could
well be a useful introduction to the thriller as a
genre.
Elizabeth Finlayson
Black, Holly
The Cruel Prince
Hot Key Books, 2018, pp400, £7.99
978 1 4714 0727 7
The Wicked King
Hot Key Books, 2019, pp336, £12.99
978 1 4714 0803 8
When their parents are killed
before their eyes, twin sisters
Jude and Taryn and older sister
Vivienne are stolen from the
mortal world by the faerie
general who despite having just
murdered their mother and
father brings them up as his own daughters
together with his infant son. The Cruel Prince
begins ten years later as the girls now in their
teens strive to fit in and be accepted in the
glittering and hostile faerie realm of Elfhame,
which they do with varying degrees of success. It
is a strange home but it is really the only home
they have ever known.
We see this struggle to belong from Jude’s
viewpoint, her ambition is to have status and be
a knight in the High Court which is unheard of
for a mortal. Their elder sister has returned to the
human world, but the twins still go to school.
They now endure daily clashes during lessons
with the disdainful beautiful young fey of the
inner court including the malicious and selfcentred
Prince Cardan who especially enjoys
tormenting Jude.
There is an obvious dynamic undercurrent of dark
attraction between Jude and Cardan which
develops throughout the story. Without giving too
much away Jude strikes a bargain with Cardan to
protect the futures of those she loves. In a
dramatic turn of events driven by a scheming
Jude and her allies, Cardan becomes king and she
becomes the power behind the throne for a year
and one day. But it makes for an uneasy alliance,
as part of the oath she can command the new
king to do her bidding but must consider carefully
the repercussions that may stem from this.
The Wicked King begins five months later. The
love/hate relationship between Jude and Cardan
continues to simmer whilst to her surprise Cardan
makes a better king than expected. Jude now has
the momentous task of trying to keep hold of her
power over the king and the kingdom whilst
unseen danger lurks everywhere. As events build
and the plot twists and turns unmasking more
intrigues, plots and betrayals there is a sense that
something has to give, and it does. By the
climactic ending Jude is left facing an uncertain
future in exile.
The author has succeeded in building a world
which is infused with such descriptive depth that
the reader is totally immersed in the narrative
that runs through both books in this series. It is
not just a dark romance between a mortal girl
drawn to a faerie prince, but also about the
nature of power, the importance of family ties,
taking opportunities and risks and paying the
price. Jude has many strengths and flaws and so
is very endearingly human. It will be interesting to
see what her comeback plans for revenge are
when the story continues in the final book in the
Folk of the Air trilogy: The Queen of Nothing.
Sue Polchow
Curtis, Vanessa
The Stolen Ones
Usborne, 2019, pp352, £6.99
978 1 4749 1503 8
Set in Munich, ten years after
the end of World War Two, this
is the story of Inge and her
journey to discovering her true
identity. Inge is 16, lives a good
life with her parents and has a
secret boyfriend, Wilf who is
Jewish.
Inge discovers that she is not who she thought
she was after a strange woman keeps turning up
on the doorstep. Inge realises that her parents
have been keeping a secret from her for all of her
life and is determined to discover who she is and
where she has come from.
This is a fantastic book in the historical fiction
genre, which uncovers the story of the
Lebensborn programme that happened in Nazi
Germany during World War Two. The story is told
in a convincing manner and shows the horror and
confusion that Inge feels when she realises that
her parents have been keeping a massive part of
her life from her. Inge undergoes a painful
process of self-discovery that will forever change
her life, and her view of her parents and what
they did during the war.
Jane Pepler
116 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

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12 to 16
Dawson, Juno (ed.)
Proud
Stripes, 2019, pp352, £7.99
978 1 788950 602
Proud is an anthology of stories,
poetry and illustrations by
LGBTQ+ authors and
illustrators. Each of the ten
stories and two beautiful poems
at each end of the book is on
the theme of pride and feature
characters from the whole
LGBTQ+ community. The stories within are as
diverse as the community it represents, but all are
of a high standard. I loved the humour in
‘Penguins’ by James Green, a story of gay
penguins, beautifully paired with Alice Oseman’s
art. ‘On the run’ by Kay Staples filled me with
warmth, and Cynthia So’s ‘The Phoenix Fault’ was
an exotic fantasy about two girls realising that
they are more than friends. I loved the friendship
in ‘The Other Team’ by Michael Lee Richardson,
the excitement in Jess Vallance’s story ‘The
Instructor’ and the depiction of anxiety in ‘Almost
Certain’ by Tanya Bryne. One of my personal
favourites was the poem at the end of the book,
‘How to Come Out as Gay’ by Dean Atta, which, I
think, will speak to many young people.
Juno Dawson sets the tone, with her impassioned
foreword reminding us of the political background
against which many LGBTQ+ people have grown
up, and the challenges that we still face to create
a compassionate and inclusive society, but it is
also a message of hope and a rallying call.
This book is for everyone. For some, it will reflect
their experience and allow them to identify with
the protagonists. For others, it will be a way to
learn, to see things from a different perspective
and empathise with people who identify
differently from them.
For this reason, and because it is important that
young LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, supported
and included, Proud should be on the shelves of
every secondary school library.
Agnès Guyon
Dixen, Victor
Translated by Daniel Hahn
Distortion
Hot Key Books, 2018, pp576, £7.99
978 1 4714 0706 2
In the ‘the greatest TV game show in all history’,
twelve participants are sent into space to colonise
Mars while cameras film their every move for
terrestrial TV. Viewers back on earth can watch
the six young men and women from various
countries choose partners, marry, enter ‘love
nests’ and embark on a new era of human
history. Yet the show’s producer, the dastardly
Serena McBee, is eager to capitalize on
advertising revenue and has kept secret a report
that the planet is not capable of sustaining life:
lizards, rats and cockroaches sent to Mars all
perished after a few months. Once the twelve
discover this fact, they begin a desperate cat and
mouse game with Serena. Despite inserted
biographies, it is not easy to retain a sense of the
twelve protagonists as individuals throughout the
many plot twists and sudden revelations. The
unmasking of Marcus (the American crew
member) as Serena’s accomplice, for example,
seems completely arbitrary. Nevertheless,
narration by Leonor, the female French member of
the team, lends a human touch and inserted
diagrams authenticate statistical and scientific
information. Translated from French by Daniel
Hahn, this volume is the second in a trilogy by
Victor Dixen, twice winner of the most prestigious
French fantasy award, the Grand Prix de
l’Imaginaire, and will appeal to young fans of
science fiction.
Gillian Lathey
Dobner, Rory
The Ink House
Laurence King, 2018, pp64, £14.99
978 1 78627 076 4
Long ago there was a Gothic
mansion which was a magnet
for all those with a gift for
writing or art or music. For in
the basement there was a
magical pool of ink which
inspired creativity. Once a year
the artist who owned the house
locked the gates and went in search of rare
objects to add to his treasures. But as soon as the
coast was clear, ‘Maestro the musical masked
mouse’ crept out from the skirting board and
summoned animals from far and wide to join the
Annual Ink House Extravaganza. And then the
party began!
This picture book for older readers is written and
illustrated by debut author Rory Dobner who has
a background in ceramics, prints, and home
accessories. He has recently transferred his artistic
talents and flair into his first picture book. Drawn
from an original perspective the black and white
drawings are striking, and immediately capture
the reader’s imagination. Dobner has a particular
flair for drawing animals, birds and insects. With
lots of detail and a narrow colour palette this is a
very original story which will particularly appeal to
older readers of 11+, especially those who are
interested in art and design.
Rosemary Woodman
Dylan, Gabriel
Whiteout (Red Eye)
Stripes, 2019, pp384, £7.99
978 1 78895 072 5
This chilling horror story is set on a school ski trip.
Charlie, the central character, is an unhappy
outsider who turns out to be courageous and
resourceful in the face of terrifying events.
Characters are well drawn, including Hanna, the
hostile local ski guide; Tara, spoilt and selfish;
Nico, weedy computer nerd; Ryan, confident
school sports hero and Charlie himself, whose
devastating background is revealed as the
narrative unwinds.
It all begins with a storm of epic proportions,
which triggers avalanches. The ski resort is cut off
from the outside world. The adults and many of
the young people mysteriously disappear. There
are malevolent, evil forces at work. Gory, bloody
murders follow each other rapidly. Charlie feels
that there is no way out, but, after a harrowing
trail of death and destruction, these diabolical
forces appear to have been overcome. In the final
pages, however, we realise that this horror may
not have been completely vanquished. This
gripping and disturbing story is definitely for older
readers.
Alison Hurst
Foxlee, Karen
Lenny’s Book of Everything
Pushkin Press, 2019, pp352, £7.99
978 1 78269 238 6
This in many ways is a
remarkable book aimed at the
mid-teen age group. It is a story
of sibling love and loyalty. The
narrator is Lenny, ‘a third
grader’, and hers is a moving
account of her family’s care of
her younger brother Davey. That
it is a sad story is signalled in the opening chapter
with her mother having ‘a dark heart feeling’ at
the time of Davey’s birth. ‘Something’s not right.’
And this was indeed the case. Davey was born
with a rare disease which caused him to grow at
an abnormal rate, in terms of height and girth.
They are a poor family. The father is more often
absent than present and the mother works two
jobs in order to provide the necessary food and
clothing.
The siblings are very close. A great joy in their
lives is the delivery of successive volumes of an
encyclopaedia which their mother had won by
means of writing a letter to the publishers. Each
issue fed their imagination and they shared
dreams of absconding and finding their way to
the Great Lakes in Canada. The ongoing
correspondence between these publishers and the
mother is another method by which the writer
advances the story.
A cast of colourful minor characters, each in some
way damaged or coping with problems, adds
interest and important issues, such as death,
bereavement, love, and concern for a close family
member, are sensitively explored.
An enjoyable read, but also thought-provoking.
Elizabeth Finlayson
118 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Freestone, P. M.
The Darkest Bloom (Shadowscent)
Scholastic, 2019, pp448, £7.99
978 1 407192 15 4
Poison, perfume and power are
the main ingredients of
Australian author P. M.
Freestone’s captivating fantasy
debut. Counting among her
inspirations Süskind’s Perfume
and the scent lore of Ancient
Rome, Freestone has lovingly
created the world of the Aramtesh empire
complete with its own archaeology, astrology,
grammar, history, mythology, philosophy, religion
and language where time is measured on the turn
of a star. Her academic background in
Mesoamerican studies, religious history, a PhD in
the sociology of infectious diseases and love of
travel fused with a desire to put global health and
inequality under the microscope contributed to her
vision.
P. M. Freestone revealed that while researching
her novel she immersed herself in the smells of
history and explored the literature of food,
perfume, neuroscience, poisons and wine. This
meticulous research is evident throughout the
novel which offers the reader a truly sensory
experience. Using an engaging dual first-person
narrative, Freestone skilfully crafts the exhilarating
tale of Ash, a Prince’s bodyguard with a deadly
secret hanging like the sword of Damocles over
his head and Rakel, a tenacious desert girl with a
precious knowledge of scents, as they embark on
a perilous quest to seek an antidote for a lethal
poison and to stop the Rot before it spreads
across the five provinces.
Strong characterisation, deft plot twists, fantastical
creatures, clever similes and symbolism, evocative
imagery and sudden surprises provide a rewarding
journey for a reader who is left on the edge of a
cliff hanger as a tale of magic, betrayal, ambition,
corruption, manipulation and tentative romance
unfolds. Rakel must undergo a Russian roulette
style game called ‘Death in Paradise’ while Ash
must face his greatest fear. This is an enriching
and entertaining read for fantasy fans who enjoy
exploring imaginative realms.
Tanja Jennings
James, Lauren
The Quiet at the End of the World
Walker, 2019, pp352, £7.99
978 1 4063 7551 0
Following a toxic virus which renders the
population infertile, the human race is now close
to extinction. The ones that remain live in a small
community in London who pull together to look
after one another and also attempt to cure the
virus. The story centres around the only two young
people within this diminishing aging population,
Lowrie and Shen, best friends who have grown up
together and deal with their situation with
stoicism and maturity beyond their years.
Their friendship is what gives the story it’s heart,
and it’s what makes the book so difficult to put
down. Lowrie and Shen are instantly loveable, and
they have depth of personality which makes it easy
to connect with them as characters. Lowrie is
passionate and practical, Shen is more considered
and analytical. They are both very smart, tech-savvy
and resourceful, and when they discover secrets
about their family and true heritage, they draw on
these skills and their friendship to save their family,
their community and possibly life itself.
James’ book looks at how fragile our existence is,
and how that ultimately we are powerless to halt
nature. But rather than setting her book in a
dystopian world, James brings a more hopeful and
positive view to her story, and shows that even
when faced with extinction, love, friendship,
compassion and the goodness of people can
prevail. It is a book that stays with you long after
reading and provokes questions. It’s a book about
discovery as much as it’s about the end of
humanity, with Lowrie and Shen uncovering the
truth about the past, their family, themselves and
their feelings towards each other which will
change their lives forever.
Emma Carpendale
Khan, Rehan
A Tudor Turk (The Chronicles of Will
Ryde and Awa Maryam Al-Jameel)
Hope Road, 2019, pp304, £8.99
978 1 90844 697 8
This book, one of a projected series of three, is
written with a refreshingly new world-view. The
story opens with the Battle of Tondibi, a battle of
world importance that no British pupils (or book
reviewers) are likely to have heard of. It marked
the end of the Songhai Empire, the largest empire
Africa has known, with its world-class university at
Timbuktu. The most powerful man in the world is
the Sultan at Istanbul, and Britain is an
archipelago on the edge of nowhere. Venice and
Istanbul are ruthless trading centres, committed to
commercial rivalry and religious antagonism, but
happy to trade illegally if they can get away with
it. The book’s hero is Awa Maryam Al-Jameel, a
Songhai princess who can kill three armed
swordsmen before breakfast, having learnt her
skills (most implausibly) at a training school for
female gladiators. The storyline is nominally
concerned with the Staff of Moses, a relic which
actually exists and functions here as a
Hitchcockian MacGuffin, but the action tumbles
along at breakneck speed, so fast that it is difficult
sometimes to keep up with the plot. The best part
of the book is the background, which can act as
an eye-opener for western readers and where the
realpolitik has uncomfortable parallels with our
own time. Recommended for fast readers aged
12+.
Martin Axford
12 to 16
Lee, Harper and Fordham, Fred
To Kill A Mockingbird
Graphic Novel
Heinemann, 2018, pp288, £16.99
978 1 785 15155 2
This beautifully observed
adaptation of Harper Lee’s
memorable semiautobiographical
Pulitzer
prize winning novel brings
an empathetic and powerful
story of racial injustice to life
for an audience receptive to
sequential art.
The inclusion of the graphic novel Sabrina on the
2018 Man Booker Prize long list testifies to the
rising popularity of the medium as a legitimate
form of literature. What better way to celebrate it
than to relaunch a modern classic, voted Number
1 in Great American Read and World Book Night
polls. Published in 1960 and set during 1930s
when the Jim Crow Laws were in force, To Kill A
Mockingbird has garnered sales of over 40 million
copies and been translated into over 40 different
languages.
When Harper Lee’s estate decided the muchloved
book should be ‘reborn for a new age’, the
honour fell to Fred Fordham, an artist known for
his moody bandes dessinées style. The project
involved him travelling to Monroeville in Alabama
meticulously taking photographs and sketching
scenes of Harper’s home town, the basis for
Maycomb, that he would later faithfully
reproduce. As the story unfolds Fordham is
respectful of Lee’s vision and desire to ‘be the
chronicler of small town middle-class Southern
life – the Jane Austen of Southern Alabama’
creating a believable and vivid world populated
with her iconic characters. His expressive
portraiture style, inspired by Satrapi’s Persepolis,
uses emotive and evocative close ups never more
poignant than when Atticus asks Tom to stand up
and queries the all-white jury on how the man
could possibly have committed the crime he is
accused of. Fordham expertly communicates the
tomboyish Scout’s anger at Maycomb’s
intolerance using effective sound effects rendered
in bold font. The novel is imbued with a palette of
soft pastels and strong primary colours for diurnal
settings, dusky shades of blue, grey, orange and
black to denote nightmarish terrors and dun and
sepia tones for the dramatic courtroom scenes
and flashbacks.
The only minor quibble is that some of the closeups
of Scout make her appear older than she is
meant to be (5–8) and Mayella does not resemble
Lee’s description of ‘a thick bodied girl
accustomed to strenuous labour.’ That said,
Fordham’s lovingly crafted adaptation has
transformed Harper’s 100,000-word novel into a
visual treat and would be an asset to any book
shelf.
Tanja Jennings
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 119

12 to 16
Leo; Jamar, Corinne and Simon, Fred
Mermaid Project
Translated by Jerome Saincantain
Cinebook, 2018, pp48, £6.99
978 1 84918 402 1
The Franco-Belgian publisher
Cinebook has released a new
futuristic sci fi series with its
launch of Mermaid Project.
This futuristic graphic novel
follows the trials of Romane
Pennac, a young Caucasian
detective living in Paris whose
self-esteem is being battered by daily racism and
sexism.
In a speculative twist BAME peoples have
overthrown the white populations of the
prosperous West who greedily squandered the
earth’s natural resources in their quest for power
and supremacy. Emerging countries are now the
new strong nations as traditional energy sources
have been seriously depleted. Following
prejudicial treatment and starvation those who
were humiliated and subjugated are now looking
for payback during a time of socio-economic and
political upheaval.
When her quick thinking embarrasses her boss,
who only hired her to escape allegations of
racism, smart, straight talking, tomboyish yet
vulnerable Romane is sent on a mission to New
York to investigate a strange disappearance linked
to the mysterious corporation where her scientist
twin brother works. The arrogant Special Agent
Malik accompanies her as they attempt to
uncover the truth behind Algapower. But they are
being watched.
Fred chooses a palette of butter cream, pale tans,
steel greys, dusky oranges, vivid blues, verdant
greens and brick reds to depict the interior and
exterior scenes set in New York and Paris with
blood red splashes denoting violence and the cold
climes of Quebec represented by shades of
aquamarine.
Expressive close ups increase the tension and
drama of the story as emotions ranging from
anger, bewilderment, defiance, fear, frustration,
shock, aggression, superciliousness and surprise
pass across the characters’ faces. It is a promising
start to a five-part series which has elements
reminiscent of a James Bond-style escapade. There
are some mild sexual references.
Tanja Jennings
Linnell, Maxine
Breaking the Rules (High Low)
Illustrated by Sophia Escabasse
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp80, £6.99
978 1 4729 6083 2
Breaking the Rules is a story about loneliness,
friendship, and Internet safety. It follows Mo who
has just moved to a new, much smaller town, and
is struggling to make new friends. She develops a
set of rules from an online advice site to help her
make new friends, but as much as she tries she
still feels out of place and like a loser. In her
turmoil, she begins talking to an older boy who
adds her on Facebook. In her desperation she
agrees to meet this new friend, but he is not who
he claims to be.
This book is part of Bloomsbury’s High Low books
which are aimed at struggling and reluctant
readers, including those with dyslexia and those
whose first language is not English. The story
would appeal to readers that enjoy relatable,
realistic stories. This short book is broken up by
illustrations so it won’t intimidate struggling
readers, and is aimed at ages 11+ with a reading
age of 9+.
Emily Kindregan
Lupo, Kesia
We are Blood and Thunder
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp448, £7.99
978 1 40889 805 5
Kesia Lupo is a debut author,
although her pedigree as an
editor bodes well for accuracy
and attention to detail. Her
fantasy world certainly leaps
from the page fully formed,
richly imagined and wholly
believable. Lena is a cryptling. Children deemed
too unsightly or damaged for the world above
and so abandoned by their families to serve the
Ancestors in the crypts beneath the city. Her days
are spent preparing the recently dead for their
eternal place within the crypts – a process that
sounds very like that used in Ancient Egypt,
although stopping short of mummification.
Duke’s Forest is a mountain city state, and when
the book begins we are in the sixth year of a
terrible, magical storm that has brought pestilence
and death. The city has been quarantined, and the
king and his advisors hunt and kill any mages
they come across. Lena finds herself accused and
barely escapes with her life, finding her way
across the surrounding forest before being
rescued by Emris.
Without letting slip any spoilers, I can say that this
is a satisfying fantasy full of magic and intrigue,
plot twists and a few surprises. In a market pretty
saturated by fantasy series, this (clearly the first of
several) stands out enough to be worth buying for
the library, or gifting to a young relative. Although
it is many (many!) years since I read Ursula le
Guin’s Earthsea books, they leapt to mind when I
read of Lena in the crypts, evoking the same
shadowy unease. If you have room on your
shelves for what may turn out to be a multivolume
series, I’d recommend investing in this
debut.
Helen Thompson
Mainwaring, Anna
Tulip Taylor
Firefly Press, 2019, pp250, £7.99
978 1 9100809 7 9
Many teenagers find their parents unreasonable.
Tulip Taylor’s really are. Her father, a flaky hippy, is
floating about overseas; he has changed his name
from Nigel to Storm and blows in when he feels
like it. Her mother makes a living from filming
Tulip and her twin siblings, then posting their
foibles on social media. Tulip is encouraged to be
a vlogger, putting out videos of her make-up tips
and techniques. Her mother is obsessed with
metadata and keeps a spreadsheet of her
popularity. If it all gets too much for her, Tulip
takes refuge in reciting lists of her favourite
words. When the ‘pulchritudinous’ Harvey arrives
at her comprehensive school, comic
misunderstanding, attractions and sparks fly.
Harvey, like Tulip, is unhappy with his father, an
extreme sports TV star, who harangues his boys to
follow in his footsteps. The two antagonistic, but
oddly compatible teens end up on a reality TV
show, survival in the wilderness. Tulip is
determined to show that she is a creative,
resourceful, witty young woman, not the plastic
bimbo that she has been painted, but the
producers have set her up to fail. The story
contains an entertaining riff on ideas about social
media, and a neat conceit of a parent more
enthralled to screens than her children. It nicely
subverts the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype as Tulip
wittily takes linguistic control of her world. Each
chapter starts with a word she has chosen from
the dictionary – such as, ‘Pusillanimous: adjective’
– and her delight in new words is something to
relish. Great fun.
Sophie Smiley
McManus, Karen M.
Two Can Keep a Secret
Penguin, 2019, pp336, £7.99
978 0 141 37565 6
Twins Ellery and her brother
Ezra are sixteen and just about
to enter their last year of
secondary school in California
when family circumstances
abruptly change. Their mother
Sadie has been struggling with
serious health problems and
has been ordered by the court to spend sixteen
weeks in a rehabilitation unit to sort out her
problems with alcohol and drugs. Maternal
grandmother/Nana is the only relative who can
take care of them. She lives in a small leafy
Vermont town on the other side of the country.
But as soon as the twins are collected from the
airport, a series of bizarre and terrifying killings
emerge. And this is not the first time that tragedy
has struck…
38 fast-paced chapters with alternating narrators
make this a gripping and suspenseful novel.
120 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Author Karen McManus is excellent at describing
the background and nuances of life in a small
New England town near the Canadian border. The
local high school has always been a very
important centre in the little town of Echo Ridge.
The author cleverly incorporates the highlights
(and conflicts) in ‘small town America’ –
particularly in an area where many parents and
grandparents have graduated from the same
school. The nearby ‘spooky’ amusement park aptly
named Murderland Halloween Park where Ellery
and Ezra have part-time weekend jobs provides
an added dimension to the story. With its short
chapters this book will be a popular choice for
readers of 12+.
Rosemary Woodman
Pollen, Samuel
The Year I Didn’t Eat
Zuntold, 2019, pp304, £7.99
978 1 9998633 5 7
‘Dear Ana’: thus starts the chronicles of a year in
the life of 14-year-old Max who suffers from
anorexia. Ana, is of course, Max’s anorexia, and
the only ‘person’ Max feels he can talk to, despite
a loving and supportive family, a couple of loyal
friends, and the help of a therapist.
The author struggled with anorexia as a young
person and this shows in his treatment of the
subject. It offers an honest, knowledgeable,
uncompromising, yet sensitive view of what it
might be like to live with anorexia. There are more
layers to this story than are first apparent. Despite
Max’s obsession with his illness, other characters
have their own issues too and this can be very
powerful for young people, particularly as it is
cleverly done, with a light touch and without
blame. The voice feels authentic. Max is a complex
and very likeable protagonist, and all the
supporting characters feel real and well fleshed
out. The relationships between the protagonists
evolve naturally in the course of the novel, both
within the family unit and with friends at school. I
also liked the fact that some of the characters are
not quite what they seemed at first. The writing is
easy, immersive, and above all, very believable –
which of course, comes with a trigger warning.
Despite the fact that Max’s weight and BMI are
never mentioned, there are clear descriptions of
calorie counting and the way anorexia distorts
your thought and affects your self-worth.
However, there is humour, warmth and hope, and
I believe that this is an important book which
should be read widely.
Agnès Guyon
12 to 16
Pollock, Tom
Heartstream
Walker, 2019, pp352, £7.99
978 1 4063 7818 4
Cat is a dedicated superfan of
her favourite boyband and
completely immersed in their
fandom. So when she starts
dating the lead singer she
knows it must stay a secret. Her
friends and fellow fans won’t
stand for anybody messing with ‘their’ boys.
Amy uses Heartstream – a social media app that
allows users to connect with and experience the
emotions of other users. Sharing the pain of her
mother’s long illness and grief of her eventually
death has gained her fans worldwide. But how far
will her fans go to maintain this rawest of
connections? When she discovers a strange
woman in the kitchen the morning of her
mother’s funeral, Amy begins to find out.
A deceptively intelligent novel with twists and
turns that keep the reader hooked. Scary and full
of tension, this is the perfect cautionary tale about
the dangers of being constantly connected online.
With themes of celebrity culture, obsession,
grooming, and the effect social media can have
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12 to 16
on our mental health, this is a great book for
starting conversations. Yet the messages never
overwhelm the story, so it remains deeply
readable throughout. Fans of Black Mirror will
love it.
Amy McKay
Rai, Bali
Now or Never (Voices)
Scholastic, 2019, pp208, £6.99
978 1 407191 36 2
This is an excellent, powerful and
important book that I highly
recommend. At the age of 15,
Fazal Khan leaves his home in
Rawalpindi and joins the Royal
Indian Army Service Corps. As
part of Company 32, he soon
finds himself in France in the Winter of 1939,
working as a muleteer helping to supply the
British Expeditionary Force. He has grown up
listening to his grandfather’s tales of his
experiences in the Great War and he hopes to
emulate him and ‘become a man’. However he
soon comes up against discrimination towards
him and his fellows. Fazal tries to keep faith with
the Imperial Power he has been taught to respect
by reminding himself of duty and honour, but his
cynical best friend, Mushtaq, is quick to point out
that they are regarded as little better than the
mules they look after. Luckily, Company 32 is
commanded by Captain John Ashdown who loves
India and speaks Punjabi and Urdu and has
proper respect for his men. As the crisis of the
German invasion worsens, Captain Ashdown
leads the Company towards Dunkirk and when
the decision is taken to abandon them rather than
get them to England he refuses to obey the order
– an action that gets him court-martialled.
Based on true events – Capt. Ashdown was Paddy
Ashdown’s father – the book rightly seethes with
indignation at the treatment meted out to the
Indians, although it shows acts of kindness
towards them, too. This challenging, polemical
material is played out against the tense and
gripping story of Dunkirk. Bali Rai’s descriptions of
the soldiers stranded on the beaches, strafed and
bombed by German planes, are exciting, vivid and
utterly terrifying. Lucky the young readers who
will now have a wider and more accurate picture
of that defeat that turned into a kind of triumph.
A thrilling and truly worthwhile read.
Nigel Hinton
Rawsthorne, Paula
The New Boy
Scholastic, 2019, pp384, £7.99
978 1 407180 26 7
Can anyone resist the new boy? After all he is
perfect… When Zoe starts a new college she is at
first immune to the too-good-to-be-true Jack and
then as his charm and romantic gestures win her
heart, Zoe discovers the horrifying and unsettling
truth of who Jack really is.
An interesting concept that makes you consider
Artificial Intelligence and what could be possible
in the future or even now, as maybe we don’t
know what does already exist. This read makes
you question how far will society go as we buy
into the reality that social media and technology
presents us with. How far will we go in our
continual quest to tweet, post, hashtag our lives
and the ultimate to trend?
This is perfect for fans of thrillers, science fiction,
romance and you might like it if you enjoyed
watching the programme Humans. As it questions
our understanding of social media and who is
really controlling what we see, buy, say or do. The
last few pages are unsettling as we witness Zoe
face what could one day be an all to real
argument with the human race.
Lucy Carlton-Walker
Reynolds, Justin A.
Opposite of Always
Macmillan, 2019, pp320, £7.99
978 1 5098 7004 2
Most of us feel lucky if we get a
second chance at love, but Jack
the narrator of this first novel
gets several attempts to travel
back in time. The book leans
heavily on the theme of endlessly
recurring events from Groundhog
Day and has echoes of The Time Traveller’s Wife. It
focuses on a chance meeting between Jack and
Kate and as he falls in love with her Jack slowly
comes to realise that the severe symptoms of
Sickle Cell disease will eventually end Kate’s life.
Jack sells everything he has of value and through
his best friend Franny’s estranged father and
aided by time travel lays bets designed to raise
the money to fund a possible cure. But will the
cure be successful or will Jack be doomed to
forever be just a little too late? The book takes
some time to get going as the author establishes
their relationship and tells the back story of Jacks
two best friends Jillian and Franny including their
troubled relationship with their respective parents
and the impact Jacks increasingly bizarre
behaviour has on sustaining the friendship. Above
all the book works in sharing how Jack himself
learns to live a little differently and perhaps a little
better over time.
John Newman
Ryan, Chris
Siege (Special Forces Cadets)
Hot Key Books, 2019, pp224, £6.99
978 1 4714 0725 3
Action-packed and exciting, this book should
engage and hold the attention of readers. It
describes a training programme for underage,
undercover military operators, where each
potential recruit has to have an anonymous
background. Chris Ryan convinces readers of the
viability of this initiative and draws us in to the
twists and turns of this nail biting narrative. Max
Johnson is the main protagonist and we follow
his recruitment and training with an interesting
collection of individuals – an incredibly elite
group. The climax, when a few of these young
people are unexpectedly thrust into central roles
in undermining armed terrorists in a school siege,
is thrilling. Suspend belief in reality; this book will
get young people reading.
Alison Hurst
Segel, Jason and Miller, Kirsten
Otherworld (Last Reality)
Rock the Boat, 2018, pp338, £7.99
978 1 78607 423 2
Otherearth (Last Reality)
Rock the Boat, 2018, pp320, £7.99
978 1 78607 452 2
This YA series about a virtual reality world and a
malicious corporation will appeal to readers who
enjoyed Warcross and Ready Player One. Simon
has just purchased a multi-thousand-dollar set of
equipment in order to play a new, revolutionary
game called Otherworld created by an
organisation called The Company. A few days
later, when he is involved in a building collapse
that leaves several dead and three others,
including his best friend Kat, in locked-in
syndrome he begins to uncover that The Company
may not be who they seem. The company offer to
trial an even more advanced virtual reality
equipment on Kat as a new form of therapy, but
when Simon sees her wake up screaming in pain
he knows something is not right. So, he begins a
dangerous race against time to find out more
about the new technology in order to save her
and others involved in this mysterious technology
experiment.
The characters and story are not the most unique
(good vs evil, massive conspiracy, boy saves girl)
but it is a fun and fast paced read and will appeal
to teens that love video games and fast paced
action stories.
Emily Kindregan
Sheppard, Alexandra
Oh My Gods
Scholastic, 2019, pp352, £6.99
978 1 40718 873 7
With one of the most eye-catching covers of the
season, this debut is one of the better offerings in
the current ancient myth trend. In many ways,
OMG is traditional, with the main character Helen
arriving with her unknown family, starting a new
school, needing to make friends whilst hiding her
secret home life. Yet Sheppard is writing an
overtly contemporary story set in North London.
Her purpose in writing the story was to represent
herself in a story, as growing up she didn’t find
122 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

herself mirrored in what she read. Therefore, this
is a very important book. Yet, it’s not designed to
be serious or make any political points – indeed,
its point is that Helen is very ordinary (whilst her
family are definitely not!) and she has ordinary
teenage drama to deal with. New school, new
friends, parties, a love interest, a super annoying
family. Fans of Geek Girl or Princess Diaries will
love it. It’s not necessarily as YA as it is marketed
and is safer for younger teenagers too.
Sheppard includes not only a first person narrative
but letters to Helen’s deceased mother – a great
way of changing the perspective at certain points.
Some sections towards the end, where the action
moves from North London, are a little strange,
and prolific readers will recognise her potential
love interest is more than he seems. But it should
be a definite addition to school library collections
for its colloquial modern language and cultural
references, multicultural cast and BAME
protagonist.
Helen Swinyard
Shrimpton, Phyllida
The Colour of Shadows
Hot Key Books, 2019, pp368, £7.99
978 1 4714 0761 1
A good YA read addressing the harsh realities of
homelessness. Having grown up in a comfortable,
loving family home, Saffron is devastated to learn
that the mother she has mourned over for 10
years of her life did not actually die. Driven by
anger, she leaves home as a way of getting back
at her father for lying to her. Saffron quickly finds
life on the streets is cold, lonely and at times very
dangerous. She also discovers the vicious circle of
pitfalls facing homeless people in England.
Tracey Hart
Trelease, Gita
Enchantée
Macmillan, 2019, pp480, £7.99
978 1 50989 597 7
A well written historical novel can
open a door into the past.
Sometimes patience is needed
before the door starts to open
and this is just such a novel,
which took a few pages to ‘hook
me’ but which then repaid me
with a wonderfully evocative depiction of prerevolutionary
Paris.
Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets,
filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and
magicians. Following the death of her parents
from smallpox, Camille Durbonne has to resort to
‘petty magic’ – la magie ordinaire – to
painstakingly transform scraps of metal into
money to buy the food and medicine they need.
The skill has been passed down to her from her
mother but Camille finds the process exhausting
and the coins won’t hold their shape.
When their brother steals what little money the
sisters have managed to save for the rent, Camille
must resort to using the ‘glamoire’ (a darker
magic forbidden by their mother) to transform
herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’. She
heads to Versailles and the glittering court of
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette where aristocrats
both fear and hunger for la magie. There, she
gambles at cards, desperate to have enough to
keep herself and her sister safe. Yet the longer she
stays at court, the more difficult it becomes to
reconcile her resentment of the nobles with the
enchantments of Versailles. Entwined with this
part of her life is the story of a handsome young
balloonist, who brings her excitement and the
prospect of adventure.
The use of ‘glamoire’ exacts a price and Camille is
drawn into a dangerous world, where all is not as
it seems. Then revolution erupts, and she must
choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy,
freedom or magic—before Paris burns.
This debut novel perfectly captures the poverty,
inequality, squalor and excesses of France at this
time. The sense of political unrest is well described
and the reader cannot help being caught up in
Camille’s desperation to forge a better life for
herself and her sister. Highly recommended for
older readers.
Carolyn Copland
Watson, Renée and Hagan, Ellen
Watch Us Rise
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp368, £7.99
978 1 5266 0086 8
A thought provoking and
powerful portrayal of best friends
Jasmine and Chelsea, as they
challenge the stereotypes that we
all face or confirm to everyday
and reaffirm what it means to be
a ‘Womyn’. It challenges you to
confront what we have all experienced that we
might have not even registered or have ‘let go’
the slapping, touching, talking down to, being
invited to the table just to be present and not
heard. The urge we might have felt to want to fit
into the ‘Social Norms’ in regards to size, shape,
hair and clothes as the mainstream only cater for
what is seen as ‘normal/average’ and nothing
more. We watch Jasmine and Chelsea rise, be
heard and make an impact through Social
Activism as they make a stand. As we live in an
ever increasing complicated digital and social
media world instead of using it as a way to judge
use it to your advantage and rise.
This compelling novel questions what it means to
be a feminist and the test, understanding and
power of a true friendship. It uses the persuasive
power of poetry and blogs throughout to
captivate the reader as well as including a guide
on who to read and a signposting section for
young people.
Lucy Carlton-Walker
12 to 16
Wheatle, Alex
Home Girl
Atom, 2019, pp288, £7.99
978 0 3490 0325 2
Subtitled ‘The Miseducation of Naomi Brisset’, this
is one in his series of Crongton novels.
We are first introduced to Naomi when she is
rehoused by her ‘social wanker’ into yet another
temporary foster home. Wheatle conveys vividly
the frustration of Louise, the social worker, and
the brittle vulnerability of Naomi.
Wheatle intersperses past and present, so that
gradually we learn what happened to Naomi’s
mother, and why she finds, after caring for her
alcoholic father, fitting in with the Golding’s family
boundaries difficult. The trust boundaries between
Naomi and the adults, her growing fondness of
the children, her mistrust of ‘peeps’ are sensitively
explored.
The theme of Naomi’s miseducation is developed
through insights into her relationship with Kim,
and to a lesser extent Natalie. Wanting to help
Naomi to move forward, the Goldings invite Kim
and Natalie to their home, involving all the family
in making multi cultural food. Tony and Colleen
Golding, a black couple with two children, Pablo
and Sharyna, who are a rounded and wellportrayed
family. Colleen seems to really
empathise with Naomi, perhaps because of her
own difficult childhood. Naomi is on edge – she
needs Kim’s approval of her new placement.
Colleen maintains her own code of behaviour, for
example reminding Kim of her language in front
of the younger children. Kim decides Colleen is
‘on point.’ Colleen clearly has reservations (later
abundantly justified) regarding Kim’s influence on
Naomi.
The placement of a white girl with a black foster
family is explored: the social worker’s issues,
Naomi’s and the Goldings. We meet the
Hamiltons, a white family with whom Naomi is
unsuccessfully placed.
The book has several dark places to explore – not
just racism and peer influence, but feminism,
sexuality and family relationships. Aimed at Year
10 plus, the author manages to produce an
upbeat and life-affirming novel.
Lorraine Ransome
Zentner, Jeff
Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee
Andersen, 2019, pp400, £7.99
978 1 78344 799 2
Josie and Delia (high school seniors) are
responsible for a low-budget public access TV
programme called Midnite Matinee. In the
character of vampires Rayne and Delilah they
show so-bad-they-are-good (to some people)
scary movies, with a garnish of absurd skits and
interviews (picture a dog wedding and random
martial arts displays).
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12 to 16
For Josie the show is a foot in the door of her
hoped-for career plus time spent with her best
friend. For Delia, living with her barely-coping
mother, the show is her life – and a way to
connect with her absent father.
Once the reader is familiar with the girls’ home
life and the background to the show, the story
becomes a road trip. The girls (plus Lawson, Josie’s
boyfriend and mixed martial arts fighter) go to
Shivercon, a convention for the horror film
industry. There they plan to meet a producer who
might champion their show, and Delia intends to
seek out her father.
The outcome is not what they hoped for. Delia’s
father is deeply disappointing and the producer is
plain horrifying. The three get into some major
scrapes (which provide a mix of tension and
absurd humour) but survive, learn and go home to
make big decisions.
The book portrays a colourful range of characters
and a wonderful friendship between the girls.
There are good male characters: boyfriend Lawson
and TV studio manager Arliss are enjoyable within
the plot, but also present positive characteristics,
including thoughtfulness alongside focus (Lawson)
and compassion hidden under a humorously
crusty exterior (Arliss). The book gives an
ultimately uplifting view of life, which has ups and
downs and surprises and decisions that we don’t
want to take, but that we can deal with. It’s funny,
engaging, philosophical and hopeful.
Sally Perry
Zoboi, Ibi (ed.)
Black Enough: Stories of Being
Young and Black in America
HarperCollins, 2019, pp416, £7.99
978 0 00 832655 5
As June Sarpong writes in her
excellently concise and wellreasoned
introduction, you
don’t have to be Black and
American for these stories to
resonate. The mainly first person
narrators come from all kinds of
socio-economic backgrounds
and all have different experiences of
understanding their place in the word while
attempting to forge a positive sense of identity
and belonging.
I particularly enjoyed ‘Warning: Colour May Fade’
about a young Black artist having her art work
appropriated by a white student who feels entitled
to betray her friend in order to succeed. I also
loved the banter of the friends talking about the
construction of the best sandwich as they walk
home from a New York public swimming pool. In
recommending this varied, entertaining and
thought provoking collection I would impress
upon the need for it to be in libraries regardless of
the ethnicity of the pupils. These are stories that
need to be read and discussed because they touch
on specific ad general themes associated with
growing up but particularly because we need
everyone to understand what the experience of
growing up Black in western society feels like and
to be able to discuss, think and act on what we
could all do to make it a better and more equal
one.
John Newman
12 to 16 Information
Atkins, Jill
The Microwave Shakespeare:
Julius Caesar 978 1 78591 637 3
The Tempest 978 1 78591 639 7
Twelfth Night 978 1 78591 340 2
Ransom, 2018, pp52, £6.99
As I am not usually a fan of
Shakespeare, I approached these
books with trepidation, and I was
pleasantly surprised. The nine
different Shakespearean plays in
the series cover the main ones
that are usually studied in
schools. They are set out in an easy to follow
format, and the format is the same throughout
the series. The content gives you a lowdown on
Who, When and Where, this information gives you
the bones of the story. You are then treated to
four or five short chapters which tell the story, and
if any lines are a direct quote from Shakespeare,
they appear in italics in the text, making it very
clear to understand.
The last few pages of the book cover what the
play is about, the main themes and Shakespeare’s
words, all of which are in the same clear and easy
to understand format as the main body of the
book. In all I would say that these books are easy
to read for all of the school years, but they would
be particularly handy if you have any students
who are due to take exams and need a quick
brush up.
Elain Burchell
Cachin, Olivier
Black Music Greats (40 Inspiring Icons)
Illustrated by Jérôme Masi
Wide Eyed Editions, 2019, pp96, £9.99
978 1 78603 470 0
This is a very aesthetically pleasing book covering
a wide range of black musicians from Robert
Johnson to The Weekend. The two pages
dedicated to each of the forty artists give an
overview of what they are best known for,
allowing readers to research further if they would
like to know more.
The first page for each artist consists of a brief
overview of their main accomplishments, fun facts
about big shows and
moments in their careers,
and a timeline of key events
or a selected discography.
The second of each contains
a beautiful minimal
illustration by Jérôme Masi.
Underneath each artist is
their title, for example Miles
Davis is given ‘The jazz revolutionary’, and
surrounding the illustration are some facts about
the musician’s iconic looks and musical style.
This book is a great introduction to some of the
most influential musicians of the last century, and
would appeal to both casual listeners and fanatic
music lovers. It would have been great to see
more artists from outside the United States, but I
think this is a fantastic overview of talented
musicians and will make anyone who reads it
want to pick up their phone and listen to some
tunes.
Emily Kindregan
Courage, Cara and Headlam,
Nicola
Gender, Sex and Gossip in Ambridge:
Women in the Archers
Emerald Publishing, 2019, pp224, £14.99
978 1 787699 48 9
I haven’t listened regularly to The Archers for
many years, and now only catch the occasional
episode if I happen to be driving at the
appropriate time. So while I am familiar with
many of the characters and their ‘place’ in the
drama, I can’t describe myself as a fan or even a
listener. My first reaction to seeing this book was
to dread reading it, to be honest. However even
for someone unfamiliar with the series this is a
genuinely engaging read. The chapters are laid out
logically, and cover topics such as gossip (informal
information networks), unplanned pregnancy (one
of the writers wonders if contraception ever works
in Ambridge), and mental health.
A lively and fun read, this book is a great
conversation starter about gender and society, but
would also be useful for anyone studying drama
and scriptwriting. We find out some of the
complexities involved in keeping stories and
characters ‘straight’ over many years, and how the
plot needs to be driven when the episodes are so
short, but story arcs are so long. The work that
goes into making sure that the programme
reflects general attitudes in society, and trying to
reflect current issues in a believable way is
impressive.
Whether you are an Archers fan or someone
studying gender, society, or drama, you will find
yourself nodding and smiling as you read this
collection of papers, and I guarantee it will make
you think.
Helen Thompson
124 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

Farrell, Mary Cronk
Standing Up Against Hate
Abrams, 2019, pp208, £14.99
978 1 4197 3160 0,
The armed forces in the USA are often seen as
models of successful integration. It comes as
something of a shock to find that during World
War II, fought against a racist enemy, the US Army
enforced the strictest segregation. Only pressure
from Eleanor Roosevelt and others who were
determined that the armed forces should
represent the whole nation persuaded it to enrol
black women at all, and at first only as auxiliaries.
Doubly handicapped by their gender and colour,
the recruits had to put up with contempt and
with underemployment. Even the most highly
educated women were liable to be automatically
assigned to menial work. In the southern states
they often met with severe persecution precisely
because they wore uniform, and those with
officers’ commissions were most at risk.
There is a vivid episode which illustrates the
courage recruits from the southern states needed.
When Major Charity Adams, the officer in charge
of the women’s battalion, was on leave, the Ku
Klux Klan came in robes and hoods and parked
outside her house all night. The police said they
had no powers to deal with parking on that road.
The book focuses on the work of Major Adams,
who led her troops with exemplary skill,
conforming tactfully where there was no
alternative but standing up courageously when it
really mattered. The book is a pointer towards the
immensity of the tasks Martin Luther King and
feminist leaders were later to take on, though it is
good to know that once in Britain, and then in
France, the women met with very different
treatment. Strongly recommended to readers of
both genders aged 11 onwards.
Martin Axford
Gonstalla, Esther
The Ocean Book
Green Books, 2019, pp128, £16.99
978 0 857844774
A very comprehensive
volume which covers a wide
range of subjects all
connected with
oceanography. Ideal as a
teacher resource, it is the
kind of book you can dip
into when required. It
provides an in depth analysis of the problems and
issues that we face today. These include climate
change, overfishing, (an area I have looked at in
detail) and pollution.
Written by an award winning infographic designer
contributors to the book include a number of
eminent professors of oceanography. The book
doesn’t ‘pull any punches’ and faces head on
several major issues. The section on climate
change examines the anomalies of ocean heat
and rising acidity caused by industrialisation, the
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
It is very impressive volume and one that would
prove to be invaluable to staff in the primary or
secondary sector. I can also see it being used by
older secondary students as a resources for major
investigations and projects. At a time when our
planet is at severe risk books like this are
invaluable in providing some of the answers to a
wide range of provocative and sometimes
worrying questions.
Godfrey Hall
Head, Honor
Trans Global
Franklin Watts, 2018, pp64, £13.99
978 1 4451 6048 1
Timely title with plenty of high quality pictures
and colourful layout. A little busy-looking at times,
this is full of stories of people from different
cultures, now and throughout history, who have
been gender non-conforming. The producers have
included the founders of the transgender charity
Mermaids, so there are authentic voices in there,
as well as the ‘Trans Now’ life story inserts which
feel real, even if this is only by design.
The end section is great: a glossary is not
confined to gender terminology, but to other
terms such as ‘hormones’ and ‘cravat’; timeline of
historic moments; further reading websites, books
and helplines. The index is confined to mostly
names of countries or people mentioned – so
probably not so much a book for skimming and
scanning as for general information.
The positives of this book are the range of stories
of from across times and countries – so readers
who need to do so, can find a variety of people
with whom they can identify. Helpful to show
students they are by no means alone. A must for
all school libraries.
Helen Swinyard
Heuchan, Claire and Shukla, Nikesh
What is Race? Who are Racists? Why
Does Skin Colour Matter? And Other
Big Questions
Wayland, 2018, pp48, £13.99
978 1 5263 0398 1
This is an excellent book. Each question is
supported by a personal experience from
successful people of colour, and makes
uncomfortable reading at times. The style is chatty
but concise and tackles the issue head-on,
acknowledging that unease that shapes
discussions about race: ‘talking about race is not
automatically racist’.
Having acknowledged the weird situation where
people ‘can be more offended by… being called
racist than the existence of racism itself’, it
unpacks some of the common issues and
12 to 16
misconceptions; power and prejudice, that skin
colour does matter, legal failures and Stephen
Lawrence, the mistaken belief that pre-Windrush
Britain was a white nation, as well as stereotypes
and race.
The second half looks at very current concerns.
The lack of representation, the Equality Act 2010
and others, Charlottesville, Terrell Decosta Jones-
Burton and how it feels to experience racism. This
is followed by two marvellous chapters ‘How can
you challenge racism?’ and ‘Unlearning racism’.
With such a good text, the ‘Think about’ boxes
are almost superfluous; the page suggesting
discussion topics is much better. It includes a
glossary but I felt the Further Information section
seemed a bit thin. Highly recommended for
readers aged 11 to adult.
Rachel Ayers Nelson
Rothery, Ben
Sensational Butterflies
Ladybird, 2019, pp80, £20
978 0 241 36104 7
Sensational Butterflies is a
magnificent compendium
of butterflies and moths
from around the world
written and illustrated by
Ben Rothery. This big
oversize book with
seventeen short chapters
is lavishly illustrated with remarkably detailed
patterns and vibrant colours. Rothery examines a
wide range of topics and species beginning with
the distinctions between a butterfly and a moth
and how you can readily identify them. (One hint:
butterflies usually fly in bright sunshine; moths are
nocturnal.)
Most butterflies and moths have brief lives. Some
live only a few days. Others like the North
American monarch butterflies migrate thousands
of miles to Mexico to hibernate over the Winter.
The female butterflies lay eggs along the route
like a relay race. No butterfly finishes the whole
route; the next generations will complete the
return trip.
This book has an urgent and a very topical
message. Climate change and the overuse of
pesticides is threatening many species. In the past
twenty years there has been a 70% drop in urban
butterflies in the United Kingdom and the United
States. Gardening, including small window boxes
which attract butterflies and moths and
campaigning can help to make a difference.
This is Rothery’s first book. His passion and this
fascinating story will help to make a change. This
is a book which will appeal to a wide audience,
especially secondary school pupils who are
interested in making a difference to
environmental conservation.
Rosemary Woodman
The SL 67-2 Summer 2019 125

16 to 19
Williamson, Anna
How Not to Lose It (Mental Health
Sorted)
Illustrated by Sophie Beer
Scholastic, 2019, pp176, £9.99
978 1 407193 14 4
Another self-help book for teens with an overly
chatty style and cultural references that will
quickly date. It covers: anxiety, depression, stress,
self-esteem, phobias and friendships very well. It
also more briefly covers sex, bereavement, online
safety, families and divorce.
It is a good, general run-through for the average
teenager on maintaining personal mental health.
It is not a book that goes into adequate detail
about bigger, more specific issues. Leave it lying
around the Library for the curious to pick up. They
will be entertained by the irreverent style and may
pick up some useful tips. Add a label to direct
those with more pressing worries to your ‘Books
on Prescription’ stock. Hopefully those readers will
follow the writer’s advice and talk to a trusted
adult.
Rachel Ayers Nelson
Yousafzai, Malala
We are Displaced
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2019, pp224, £16.99
978 1 4746 1003 2
In the first part of this book Malala tells her own
story of becoming displaced, initially internally
displaced from her beloved Swat Valley, and then
being forced to leave Pakistan as a result of being
targeted for her work advocating education for
girls.
The section simply and effectively conveys
powerful messages that are common to stories of
displacement: she loved her home and only left
because her family’s situation was so dangerous
and difficult that giving it up – heartbreaking
though it was – was the only option. Readers
learn too that you can be displaced inside your
own country, and see the painful paradox of
appreciating your new home, while mourning the
loss of your old one. Small details, such as getting
used to different clothes, convey vast realities.
The second part of the book is the testimony of
eight displaced girls from around the world,
describing what drove them from their homes, the
perilous journeys they undertook and the
difficulties of reconciling safety with alienation.
Broadening the perspective, there is also the story
of one older woman who returns to Uganda
having been forced to leave in the 1970s, and one
woman who mentored a displaced family in
Canada. Through the stories the reader learns the
circumstances leading to the displacement in
countries from Yemen to Syria, Burma to
Columbia. A theme which recurs is the importance
of girls’ education to keeping them safe.
Each of these chapters opens with a graphic
representing the speaker’s journey and a short
introduction by Malala. These give a taste of her
work now, which includes giving talks worldwide
and listening to the displaced girls she meets.
A book for every school library which will increase
awareness of the realities of life for people in
many places, while showcasing the strength and
determination of some remarkable young women.
Sally Perry
16 to 19 Fiction
Capetta, Amy Rose and McCarthy,
Cori
Once & Future
Rock the Boat, 2019, pp336, £8.99
978 1 78607 654 0
King Arthur reincarnated as a
girl in a world where space
travel is the norm and with a
band of LGBTQIAP+ knights
that have her back – it’s
certainly original! An intriguing
start carries on into a great
adventure, where Merlin is
ageing backwards and Ari (aka Arthur) marries
childhood love Gwendolyn in order to defeat an
evil all-encompassing corporation and save the
world. Some sexual content and a bit of profane
language mean this book is probably more suited
to kids age 15+ and its diverse/gender fluid
characters are well portrayed. I greatly enjoyed
the links to the original King Arthur stories and
loved Ari as a character, strong, loyal and family
minded she is an excellent female protagonist.
Bev Humphrey
Collins, Orlagh
All the Invisible Things
Bloomsbury, 2019, pp368, £7.99
978 1 40888 833 9
This second YA novel from Collins is sweet, honest
and self-aware. It’s a love story with a difference
– the kind of friendship which can stand the test
of time – the love between Vetty (Helvetica) and
Pez. Becoming friends in primary school, Vetty
moved away after the death of her mother, and
the book opens with the news she and her family
are returning to their London home, back to their
old lives. Will her old life welcome her back? Will
her old friends?
Vetty comes to realise a lot in this situation, about
her family, her friendship with Pez, herself – and
her romantic/sexual feelings for both male and
female characters in the book. Whilst the story is
about her coming to terms with her bisexuality,
this is not the single dimension of the book. The
story is not for the faint-hearted and definitely sits
in the YA category in your library – only a few
pages in and the characters are talking about
masturbation and cringey school sex education
classes. Pez is also wrestling with a porn
addiction, which is sensitively handled. Vetty is a
very self-aware narrator, Collins allowing her to be
adept at analysing situations and feelings of
others. She knows herself better than she realises,
but she feels unable to express herself to those
closest to her. Many of the characters evolve as
the story does.
Helen Swinyard
Dawson, Juno
Meat Market
Quercus, 2019, pp416, £7.99
978 1 78654 038 6
South Londoner Jana is 16 and about to start her
A-Levels, when she’s discovered by a modelling
scout on a day out at Thorpe Park. What follows is
a rapid ascent to fame and riches as the fashion
world embraces her and the world learns her
name. But, hidden behind the glamorous parties
and designer clothes, there’s a dark side to her
new life. Worked to the point of exhaustion, often
away from home and lonely, drifting from her
childhood friends and forced to grow up way too
soon, Jana begins to wonder if this is the life she
wants. When she’s sent for a casting at a Parisian
hotel with a sleazy, predatory photographer,
things quickly get darker still for her. Can she take
back control of her body and her life? Can she
find a voice to speak from the photos?
An insightful and gripping exposé on the fashion
industry and its treatment of young models.
Contemporary in style, language and subject, this
is a sure fire hit for older teen readers interested
in real life stories and the world around them.
As ever though, Dawson doesn’t shy away from
gritty truths, so instances of strong language, drug
taking and sexual assault make this most suitable
for older teens.
Amy McKay
Hogan, Bex
Viper (Isles of Storm and Sorrow)
Orion, 2019, pp400, £7.99
978 1 51010 583 6
Marianne is a girl whose destiny weighs heavily
upon her. She is the daughter of the merciless
Viper, scourge of the high seas, known as the
most dangerous man on the ocean. He is meant
to be the defender of the Twelve Isles and to
serve the King but has grown corrupt and power
hungry. Now her father’s ship prowls the seas
with a crew of plundering and murdering
mercenaries known as the Snakes. Motherless
Marianne has been brought up within this brutal
environment and it is all she has known. Next in
line to take on the mantle of being the Viper she
knows her father doubts her abilities because she
is not evil and not a cold-blooded killer. Now
virtually friendless in the viper’s nest she must
stand alone as even her lost love and childhood
friend fellow ship mate Bronn appears to have
126 The SL 67-2 Summer 2019

turned against her. She dreads her imminent
eighteenth birthday as soon after will be the
initiation ritual into the official Snake ranks. Her
father compelled by his obsession to conquer and
rule betroths her to the crown prince who
becomes her ally. Desperate for her freedom,
Marianne escapes and learns of her true
parentage which includes the ability to
communicate with the terrifying and mighty sea
raptors through her latent magic. Her journey to
unite and save the Twelve Isles begins, which will
involve inevitably facing her evil father in a sea
battle to the death. A violent maritime fantasy
adventure on one level, it also explores how a
young person finds her own path and fights
oppression including physical and mental cruelty.
First in the Isles of Storm and Sorrow trilogy from
a debut author.
Sue Polchow
Kaufman, Amie and Kristoff, Jay
Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle)
Rock the Boat, 2019, pp480, £14.99
978 1 78607 533 8
Tyler Jones is a golden boy about to graduate
from the Aurora Space Academy. He is having a
sleepless night when he wrangles the opportunity
for a short night-time flight in space. To his
astonishment he discovers a redundant spacecraft
with a sole survivor still on board. Her name is
Auri Jie-Lin O’Malley and she has been asleep for
over two hundred years. She is the sole survivor.
Science fiction authors Kaufman and Kristoff have
created a big bold alternative universe set in the
future. The space academy students are an elite
and very diverse group. Their characters are welldrawn
and come from a far-reaching range of
galaxies and races (many unknown in the 21st
century) but they ultimately share a lot in
common. Auri’s sorrow at being unable to mend
her past disagreements with her father is
particularly poignant. This big book is a pageturner
with a pacy plot, romance, sexual yearnings
and liaisons, humour and lots of heart-stopping
drama. Fans of the Illuminae Files by the same
authors will be keen to discover this new series.
The first in a trilogy, the book celebrates diversity
throughout the story and begins with a powerful
dedication ‘If your squad was hard to find or
you’re still looking, then this one is for you.’
Rosemary Woodman
Thomas, Angie
On the Come Up
Walker, 2019, pp448, £7.99
978 1 4063 7216 8
Angie Thomas has followed her award-winning
novel The Hate U Give with another powerful
portrayal of the struggles of African-American
teenagers to make their voices heard and their
feelings and aspirations understood in a world
stacked against them. The protagonist of On the
Come Up is sixteen-year-old Brianna, whose gift
for words and language and love of hip-hop lead
her to follow her murdered father into the world
of rapping. Brianna wants to be a great rapper
and has a huge talent, but her words and feelings
are constantly misinterpreted and manipulated by
others to serve their own ends and court media
attention. Brianna’s desperate need to succeed,
caused by her family’s poverty and imminent
homelessness, lead her to play a dangerous game,
at risk of being judged as a violent, aggressive
threat rather than as the powerfully gifted young
woman she is, before she finally finds her true
voice and stands up for her own integrity.
Brianna is a strong, relatable central character,
often stubborn, angry and infuriating, but always
sympathetic, loyal and often very funny in her
words and observations. Her family life with its
many problems, murdered rapper father, ex-drug
taking mother, drug-dealing gang member aunt, is
convincingly portrayed and her close relationship
with childhood friends Sonny and Malik keeps her
as level and grounded as such a volatile character
can be. The reader is willing Bri to succeed on her
own terms throughout the book, despite all her
confrontations and mistakes, and the conclusion
to her story is completely satisfying.
Angie Thomas has succeeded in raising many of
the important issues at the heart of the Black
Lives Matter movement, institutional racism, white
privilege, poverty, gang culture, attitudes towards
strong black women, the consequences of always
being treated differently, without compromising
her story and characters. The author’s passion for
rap and hip-hop shines throughout the novel and
despite all the dark, difficult themes the message
of following your dreams is the overriding one. The
many contemporary references to African-
American art and culture will give young black
readers a positive reinforcement of their own
culture and identity and the powerful challenging
of stereotypes combined with compelling plot and
strong central character make this a must-have
book for YA library shelves.
Sue Roe
Professional
Dyregrov, Atle; Raundalen, Magne
and Yule, William
What is Terrorism? A Book to Help
Parents, Teachers and other Grownups
Talk with Kids about Terror
Illustrated by David O’Connell
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2018, pp80, £8.99
978 1 78592 473 6
This superb small volume is a goldmine of help to
make terrorism understandable to young children
while setting fear aside. Constructed in two halves
the authors give a clear but not childish
explanation of what terrorism is and this could be
used in a classroom setting or for a child who has
Professional
become particularly worried about this issue. This
section also includes a script that might occur
between a child and her grandmother who
remembers the Second World War. I’m not sure if
this part is quite as useful but it may trigger an
idea for a classroom teacher where terrorism
could be discussed without threat.
The latter section is directed at adults and
includes strategies to discuss the subject without
increasing fear and worry on the part of the child.
Giving examples of age appropriate conversations
with an awareness that the prevalence of all types